A Case of Redemption
by Andie O'Neill
Summary: Henry Spencer’s old partner is back in town for a visit, but things go from bad to worse when a killer is found dead and Henry goes missing.
1. Chapter 1

A Case Of Redemption

By Andie O'Neill

Fandom: Psych

Rating: T

Pairing: Shawn/Lassiter (Eventually), Gus/Juliet

Genre: Romance, Angst, Humor, Action, Mystery

Summary: Henry Spencer's old partner is back in town for a visit, but things go from bad to worse when a killer is found dead and Henry goes missing.

A/N: As fun as it was to write one-shots I've been itching to write a longer fic and this idea hit me over the head and refused to be ignored. Hope you guys enjoy! :D

Disclaimer: Steve Franks and the USA network own the show and it's characters.

* * *

Part One

==1988==

"You know what Shawn, that's it! As of right now we are no longer speaking!" little Gus Guster shouted in a huff, wincing as his outburst seemed to aggravate his injuries.

Shawn Spencer frowned, worried about his friend's well-being. He felt guilty enough as it was and he really didn't feel like fighting with his currently injured best friend. "Gus, what was I suppose to do?! You really think I could have taken Brain Connors! He's like the toughest kid in school! He would have pummeled me and then what good would I be?! I'd be dead and you'd be all alone with no best friend!"

"What part of not speaking do you not understand?!" Gus spat, then whimpered, touching the sensitive bruise beginning to show on his right cheek.

"I already said I was sorry, Gus! What more do you want from me?! I panicked! How can I make it up to you? I got it… we could pull a prank on Connors tomorrow! I'll put orange juice in his backpack during lunch or something!" Shawn pushed, walking beside his friend, opening the gate to his house so Gus could get cleaned up. Shawn and Gus both knew Gus' parents would freak at the sight of blood and even though they wouldn't be able to hide the bruise, they could at least do something about the cuts and dried blood on his shirt and pants.

"Whoa! What the heck happened?!"

Shawn looked up, surprised to see his father's partner and fellow detective Eddie… or 'Uncle Eddie' as Shawn often called him. The boy sighed, looking over at his friend. "Gus got beat up after school."

"Because someone ran away like a little girl instead of having my back!" added Gus angrily.

"I said I was sorry!" fought Shawn. "You would have done the same if you'd been in my position!"

Uncle Eddie frowned, folding his arms. "Gus, why don't you run inside and get Henry to help you with those cuts and maybe put some ice on that bruise… Christ, you look like you got hit by a car, kid!"

"Yes, Mr. McCall," Gus spoke, giving Shawn a passing glare before he entered the house.

Shawn was about to follow when Uncle Eddie grabbed his arm, pulling him back. "Did I just hear you admit to abandoning a friend in need?" he asked, looking rather disappointed. "Cause Henry's boy would never do such a thing."

Shawn shrugged. "But Dad told me no fighting! Brian Connors is the toughest kid in school and he would have murdered me! What was I supposed to do?!"

Eddie sighed, pulling him over to the table outside. He sat down slowly, then gestured for Shawn to do the same. "No it's true, you shouldn't have fought him. What you should have done is run and gotten a teacher, or even the Principle. You and Gus are best friends. You gotta have each other's backs!" Shawn had heard it from his father more than once, and it sounded no different coming from Eddie. He would have rolled his eyes, but knew that would only make things worse. Maybe if he got the speech now, he'd avoid getting the speech from his father later. "Take me and your father, I'd gladly take a bullet for Henry, and visa versa! One day when you're a cop you're gonna face a lot of bad people… people worse than that bully who beat up poor Gus. It's about loyalty… self-sacrifice… knowing who you can count on when things get tough. There's more to being a detective than just catching the bad guys. Don't ever forget that Shawny."

Shawn nodded, dropping his head in shame at failing Gus. "I'm gonna go help Gus, thanks Uncle Eddie," he muttered, sliding off the bench.

"Anytime kid," said Eddie, with a smile and a wink. "Anytime."

* * *

==Present==

"I should kill you Shawn!" shouted Gus angrily.

It wasn't the first time Gus had ever been mad at him, and Shawn suspected it wouldn't be the last. Shawn frowned, running to catch up with his friend as they left the car and walked into the Psych office. "What was I supposed to think?! Gus, you haven't had a date for like a year now! And let's face it, it's not like I've seen many girls walking out of your apartment since we started working for the Police Department. I've tried to hook you up with some pretty hot chicks and you never seem interested. I just thought… you know… maybe it was because… because you-"

"I'M NOT GAY, SHAWN!" shouted Gus, giving him an angry glare, and Shawn could swear steam was actually coming from his ears.

Shawn sighed. "Did I say that? No one's saying that!"

"THEN WHY DID YOU SET ME UP ON A BLIND DATE WITH A MAN?!" shouted Gus, looking absolutely pissed, blushing furiously (which was hard to do considering Gus' dark complexion.)

Shawn winced at his tone. "Okay, so maybe that wasn't the best idea I ever had, but at least now I know! I promise, from here on out… I will never, ever set you up with men again! Scouts honor!"

"You were never a scout, Shawn."

"Come on, Gus, yes I was! Remember that week in July of 87?"

"You lasted one week before they kicked you out for causing that fire during the annual camping trip," Gus reminded him.

Shawn rolled his eyes. "That's not the point. Look Gus, I'm sorry! I messed up! But come on! I only did it because I was worried! See, this is why you're so uptight! You need to release some tension, dude!" Shawn fought. If Gus wasn't careful the little Gusters were gonna shrivel up! Shawn was only trying to do his friend a favor. Besides, Calvin Winters was an ex-boyfriend of Shawn's and he knew first hand just how… ahem… _helpful_ the guy could be. He would have taken care of Gus' problem easily!

"I'm not having a one night stand, Shawn."

"No one said anything about a one night stand. I'm just saying you need to get out there! Make some noise! Hit some bars, or a club… something!" Suddenly Shawn was hit with a thought, and he could kick himself for not seeing it sooner. "Unless of course… unless you already have somebody in mind. Gus?" When Gus' blush deepened, Shawn's eyes widened. "Gus! Why didn't you tell me?!"

Gus sat at his desk, fiddling with a piece of paper before balling it up and throwing it in the trash… a two pointer. "Because… it's never gonna happen anyway. She's out of my league… besides, I could tell you liked her too so I figured I might as well back off."

Shawn searched through his memories, trying to find some moment, some look that would give him a clue as to who Gus could possibly be interested in, but he simply couldn't figure it out. "Dude, what are you talking about? Who is she?" he urged, sitting on his own desk, a little excited by the news that his friend had a crush.

"No way, Shawn! We are not having this discussion! And don't think I'm not still mad about last night!"

Shawn groaned, wishing his best friend would just tell him. It had to be a woman they both knew… someone Shawn flirted with. They both knew her. Was it that waitress? The one that worked at 'Burritos, Burritos, Burritos?' No, that couldn't be it! Shawn only flirted with her to get free food. Then suddenly, as if a light had been turned on in Spencer's head he knew exactly who it was Gus wanted. He couldn't really blame his friend. She was extremely attractive, and Shawn didn't blame Gus for being just a little hesitant about asking her out, especially since Shawn had tried in the past and failed spectacularly. "Oh my god… you like Jules, don't you?"

Gus' eyes immediately widened. "How did you-"

"You mean I'm right?! How long has this been going on?!"

Gus looked away, eyes downcast as if he were in trouble. "Not long… it's kinda new actually. It's just… we have so much in common. I mean, she likes comic books, and she's fun to be around. And you gotta admit she's beyond attractive… but you know… I know how much you like her. I mean, you've been trying to start something with her for years now! I couldn't-"

"GUS! We've competed over women before!" Shawn reminded him; a little surprised that Gus would back down simply because Shawn had show interest.

"That was different! Juliet is better than those girls! She's unique! She's not some trophy to compete for!" Gus fought.

Shawn deflated, a little disturbed by what he was only just learning about his best friend. "Gus, it's true… I do flirt with Jules, but it's not as serious as you think it is." Perhaps it was time he aired his own dirty laundry… Gus wasn't the only one who could keep secrets.

"What are you talking about? You're always staring at her… and you flirt-"

"I flirt with everyone, Dude… it's who I am. Besides, Jules is hot… of course I stare. I also stare at food, but that doesn't mean I want to sleep with those muffins they keep on display in the window of 'Jamba Juice'," Shawn pointed out.

Gus gave him a confused look.

"If you'll notice she's not the only one I flirt with… and if you'll also notice, she's not the only one I stare at." His best friend's blank stare spoke volumes and Shawn wanted to groan at how clueless Gus could be. "Dude, I've been flirting with Lassiter just as long as I've been flirting with Jules. Our first year working for the department I sat in his lap! Why do you think I enjoy getting under his skin so much? It's fun watching Lassie get all riled up! I mean, you gotta admit, he's pretty hot when he's angry."

Gus gave him a disturbed look. "Uh no, Shawn… I don't."

"Whatever dude, the point is, you should have told me! Now we just need to come up a plan to get you and Jules together!" Shawn was already formulating ideas… brilliant ideas.

"No Shawn! You promised… no more interfering in my love life!"

"Actually, I promised I wouldn't set you up on dates with men… I never said anything about women… including Jules," Shawn corrected proudly.

Gus moaned, rubbing his forehead. "I really, REALLY hate you sometimes, Shawn."

"I know buddy… I know," Shawn mumbled as he went in search of a pen. He had some serious planning to do!

* * *

"… _the body of Mr. Keith Michaels was found by his wife of two years in their house only days after being released from prison. Michaels had been charged with the murder of Mr. James McCall, a cold case reopened after twenty-one years, but due to lack of evidence was released. Head Detective Carlton Lassiter of the Santa Barbara Police Department was unavailable for comment at this time…."_ Henry rolled his eyes, cutting off the television as he grabbed some sauce from the kitchen and walked outside to finish barbequing dinner. Shawn and Gus were supposed to be coming over and he wanted to make sure everything was perfect. He set the barbeque sauce off to the side and was just getting ready to light a fire when he sensed he was not alone. Henry Spencer paused for a moment, before looking up, and his heart immediately stopped as he saw the visitor standing awkwardly in his yard.

"Eddie?" Spencer questioned, not quite sure how to react. It'd been a long time since he'd seen his partner… over twenty years. Eddie had quite the force not long after his brother's murder, and the two had part ways in a less than dignified manner despite a friendship that had lasted almost ten years.

Eddie smiled, running a hand through his hair as he walked closer. "Hiya Henry… been a long time."

Henry could tell something was wrong immediately, noticing the five o'clock shadow and the circles around his eyes that hinted to lack of sleep. The years had not been very good on Eddie, although at least he still seemed to have all his hair. There was a backpack swung over his left arm, and his hands were stuffed in his pockets, and Henry wasn't quite sure what to make of the sudden visit. "Twenty years… last I heard you moved back to New York."

Despite years living in California, Eddie had never lost his New York accent… something that had always made it easy for Henry to identify when his friend and partner would call. He probably wouldn't have believed it was really Eddie if he hadn't heard that familiar accent. Eddie shrugged. "For a while… but I'm back now, at least for a week or so, and I thought I should take the time to look up old friends."

Henry had once considered Eddie a good friend. He'd been nothing but a rookie when they'd first been partnered together, and Henry hadn't been pleased, but Eddie made a good cop back in the day. He'd been one hell of a detective, and eager to learn. After ten years Henry couldn't have trusted anyone as much as he'd trusted Eddie… until one gruesome case had not only ended their friendship, but Eddie's career. Henry hadn't heard from him since, except for the gossip from some of the other officers about his whereabouts. Henry couldn't be too pissed with the kid… he'd lost his brother in that case, a case that Henry had been forced to lead. They'd never found the killer, and the case had been closed. That was the day their friendship had died and Eddie had left the force. "Old friends?"

Eddie frowned, running a hand through his hair, and Henry pushed back the jealousy at just how thick it was. "I said some things… things I wish I could take back, and it's taken me twenty years to say it… but you deserve an explanation."

"I didn't need an explanation, Eddie," Henry assured him, turning completely to face his 'old friend.'

Eddie nodded, glancing at the house. "Got a minute?"

Henry hesitated, positive Eddie was hiding something. He wouldn't look Henry in the eye, was fidgeting like crazy, and Henry knew the signs well. His old partner wasn't being completely honest with him as to why he was there, but perhaps if they went inside he'd stop playing games and get to the point. Henry walked over to the door, opening it and standing aside to let Eddie in. "For you… I'll give you ten," he said, with a friendly smile. Henry owed him at least that much.

Eddie smiled, walking inside. "Thanks Henry."

To Be Continued


	2. Chapter 2

A Case Of Redemption

By Andie O'Neill

Fandom: Psych

Rating: PG-13 (Subject to Change… maybe R in later chapters)

Warning: Some Spoilers For S3, Slash (Obviously)

Pairing: Shawn/Lassiter (Eventually), Gus/Juliet

Genre: Romance, Angst, Humor, Action, Mystery

Summary: Henry Spencer's old partner is back in town for a visit, but things go from bad to worse when a killer is found dead and Henry goes missing.

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews so far! I really enjoyed seeing what everyone thought!

Disclaimer: Steve Franks and the USA network own the show and it's characters.

* * *

Part Two

"What time were we supposed to be at your father's house for dinner?" Gus asked as he closed the door to the 'Psychmobile' as Shawn liked to call it and followed his oldest friend into the yard. The lights to the house were off, and Gus saw no sign of movement inside the house as he peered through the windows. "I don't see your father's truck."

Shawn had a curious expression on his face, and Gus had a bad feeling. "He said to come at seven for barbeque."

Gus looked down at his watch and frowned. "Shawn, it's eight o'clock! We're an _hour _late!"

"So?"

Gus resisted the urge to hit his best friend. Sometimes he just didn't get Shawn Spencer, no matter how long he'd known him. They'd known each other since five, but Gus was beginning to wonder if he'd ever truly understand Shawn. He didn't wait in lines… how the hell was that even possible?! He refused to be serious unless murder was involved… or Henry was dating. And he had absolutely no concept of time! Shawn lived a charmed life, and Gus couldn't help getting frustrated now and then. He rarely had to face the consequences of his actions, unless Henry was around. Gus really wanted to slap him. His stomach was rumbling and obviously their dinner would not be coming from the Spencer house because SOMEONE didn't know the difference between the number seven and the number eight! "Shawn, he probably assumed we're not coming!" He had every right to be angry! He was hungry damn it!

Shawn waved Gus off, as if his words were crazy, and knocked on the door, waiting for a moment before looking back at Gus. "That's weird."

"Weird? Shawn, he's not home! How is that weird?"

"Come on Gus, this is my father we're talking about. It's not like he spends his nights 'gettin' jiggy wit it' at the local clubs. He should be home. He never goes out this late."

Gus folded his arms, very upset. His mouth had been watering all day at the thought of one of Henry's barbeque ribs… grilled to perfect, the perfect balance of sauce and spices. "I'm hungry, Shawn! You promised me barbeque!" he complained.

"This can't be right." Shawn's eyebrows were furrowed in confusion as he walked off the porch and walked around the back to knock on the back door. "Henry?!"

"Just accept it, Shawn, he's not home! He probably had better things to do than wait for us to finally arrive!"

Shawn walked back over to Gus, looking lost in thought, and Gus knew that look. It was the look that spoke of a puzzle Shawn was trying to solve, but there was no mystery. Henry had given up waiting for them to show up, and probably gone out for dinner or something. Shawn paused, picking up what looked to be a wrapper. "Okay… this is just weird. What's a bubble yum wrapper doing in my Father's yard? He hates the stuff… too sugary."

"Maybe a kid threw it in the yard when he came by to sell him candy or something. Now can we please go? I'm hungry!" Gus' stomach was rumbling big time and he wasn't about to wait around forever. No one would blame Gus if he left Shawn's ass and went to get himself some food before he starved to death!

Shawn stared at the wrapper for a moment before stuffing it in his pocket and walking over to Gus. "Okay… what's it gonna be? Mexican or Italian?"

Gus could feel his stomach rumble at the very thought. "Mexican! Definitely!"

"Dude… Italian!" Shawn fought.

Gus immediately frowned. "Mexican, Shawn!" he pushed, following his friend back to the car, with one last glance at the empty house.

* * *

"Dude, just ask her out! What's the worst that could happen?" Shawn asked the next day, as they walked into the SBPD. Spencer had spent most of the night trying to get in touch with Henry, but none of his calls were answered, and although he was doing his best to let it go… he was starting to worry something was up. Usually it was Henry calling him twenty times a day, not the other way around. He'd been getting a creepy feeling ever since they'd showed up at Henry's to find no one home.

"Uh, she could say no," Gus answered.

Shawn shook his head. "Details!"

"If it's that easy than why haven't you asked Lassiter out seeing as you're so in _love_ with the guy," Gus pointed out.

Shawn frowned. "That's different Gus! Me and Lassie have a complicated relationship… you heterosexuals wouldn't understand."

"Whatever, Shawn! I wasn't a heterosexual two days ago when you set me up on that blind date with a _guy_!" Gus pointed out with a pointed glare.

"Okay seriously dude, you've really gotta let that go…."

"Not a chance!"

Shawn smiled the moment he saw Detective Juliet O'Hara, pushing Gus along to talk to her. "Jules hey!" he greeted in his usual cheery tone.

Juliet smiled back, glancing over at Gus and Shawn noticed the way her eyes softened when she looked at him. "Hey guys, what are you two doing here?"

Spencer knew Gus would never get up the nerve to ask out Juliet unless significantly pushed. The first part of operation 'Get Gus The Girl' would soon be in effect, whether Gus liked it or not. He just needed an opening. "Things have been slow at the office, and Gus wouldn't play another game of scrabble with me."

Gus immediately jumped in. "I wanted to play scrabble! You're the one who got mad when I wiped the floor with you," he pointed out with a smug half smile, turning to look at Juliet, who was trying to hide her amused smile.

"You did not wipe the floor with me, Gus. We didn't have a dictionary, and 'titillate' is NOT a word!" Shawn fought. He'd certainly never heard it, and until he saw it in a dictionary their game had no winner.

"It is so a word, Shawn," Gus fought. "It's a verb. It means to excite pleasurably! Triple letter score! _What_!" Guster gave Shawn a proud smile, as if he just knew he'd won their little argument.

"Actually Shawn, Gus is right… it is a word," O'Hara added, giving Shawn a sympathetic smile.

Shawn was too stubborn to admit defeat so easily. "I reserve judgment until I see the word in a dictionary, and you know what, can we move on from the scrabble please? Anyway, how's things been on your end Jules? Any big cases?"

Juliet shook her head, fighting back her laughter at Shawn and Gus' banter. "Sorry Shawn, but there's not much going on here either. We have one or two cases… that's it."

"Aw man," whined Shawn.

"That's it, I'm getting my Pharmaceutical case from the office and doing my _real_ job!"

Not part of the plan… Shawn immediately frowned. "Come on, Gus! We'll get a case!" He hated when Gus went off to do his other job! Shawn felt like he never saw his best friend when things at Psych got slow.

Gus was walking away, and Spencer had a bad feeling operation 'Get Gus The Girl' would have to wait for another day. "I'm doing my job, Shawn! Call me when we have a case!"

Shawn watched his best friend walk away. "Gus! GUS!" When it was obvious his friend would not be coming back he turned to look at Juliet, giving her his best puppy dog look. "Up for a game of cranium?"

Juliet raised an eyebrow. "Um, I don't know about you, but I have _work_ to do, Shawn."

"Lunch?" he offered. "We could get churros!"

Juliet grabbed files from her desk, shaking her head, and soon she too was walking away from Shawn. "I don't think so, Shawn."

What was up with everyone today? "But Jules! It's churros! Jules!" Shawn sighed watching her leave, then searched the place for his favorite Detective. He was seriously gonna lose it if he didn't find something to do. He immediately smiled when he spotted the man, hard at work at his desk. "Lassie!" Shawn walked over to him, sitting on his desk. "Good news! I'm all yours for the day! What do you say? A little afternoon delight?" he asked, wagging his eyebrows suggestively. "Then maybe after we can grab lunch… we'll have to make cuddling optional depending on how late you want to eat."

Lassiter didn't bother to look up, letting out a dramatic sigh. "Spencer, not even if you paid me."

"Oh come on now Lassie, we could braid each other's hair!" Spencer continued, ignoring Lassiter's grimace at his idea. "Tell stories! Gush about famous celebrity relationships! When's the last time you had some fun? You've got to live life on the edge, Lassie! Take life by the balls! Come on Ferris, you need a day off! So what do you say? You with me?"

For a moment Shawn almost believed he was actually going to go along with him as Lassiter stood, tight smile on his face, wrapping an arm around the proclaimed psychic and led him toward the exit.

"Now that's what I'm talking about, Lassie! Where are we going?"

Lassiter stopped by the door, giving Shawn a small shove. "_I'm_ going back to work, and _you_ are leaving. Goodbye Spencer."

Shawn frowned as Lassiter began walking back toward his desk. "Mean Lassie… seriously mean! Fine, I'll just have to make my own fun!" Spencer looked over to his left and noticed the pineapple he'd left yesterday at the front desk. "And I'm taking _this_ with me!" he added, grabbing the pineapple. First his father last night, then Gus, Juliet, and Lassie. Shawn was seriously starting to develop some abandonment issues. At the thought of his father's strange disappearing act, Spencer walked out of the station, thinking perhaps it'd be a good time to pay his father another visit. At this point, anything was better than being stuck at the office waiting for a case.

* * *

Shawn Spencer had a bad feeling… and he really hated those. Especially since they were usually right, and often involved murder cases. Spencer had taken his bike over to his father's house, noticing that his father's truck was still gone. It seemed that no one was home, but Shawn wasn't buying it. Running off without telling someone was Shawn's thing, not Henry's. It just felt off, and he couldn't figure out why it was bothering him so much. As he looked around the yard, he played briefly with the idea of breaking in and having a look around, but he doubted Henry would be very happy if he were to find out, and Shawn's bad feeling turned out to be nothing.

There was the chance that his father had decided to go fishing, and if that were the case it would explain his truck being missing… but not why he'd invited Shawn days ago to come by for dinner. Shawn walked around the yard, looking around for answers when he noticed the barbeque sauce sitting by the grill, and his bad feeling immediately intensified. Why would Henry leave sauce outside by the grill unless he'd been planning on grilling something? Nearby sat some matches, and charcoal… and Shawn's frown deepened. He needed to do some digging. Spencer walked out of the yard and back to his bike. He didn't know what was going on, but he was going to find out… one way or another….

* * *

Carlton Lassiter rubbed his temples, desperate to rid himself of the headache that had only intensified since Spencer's 'visit' to the station. He was beyond stressed. Things had been looking good not days before when he'd found new evidence linking Keith Michaels to a cold case murder closed some twenty years ago. Sweet lady justice had smiled upon them, giving up a damning piece of evidence that allowed them to reopen an unsolved case dropped decades ago. It'd been all over the news, and although they'd received quite a blow when Keith had been released, Lassiter had been sure they'd found the right guy… and that justice would soon prevail. Sadly things hadn't been looking good, and Carlton had found himself actually wishing the frustrating 'proclaimed psychic' would come along and dazzle them all by solving the case and making sure Michaels paid for the murder of James McCall.

Instead Carlton had gotten another case dropped into his lap… that of the murder of Keith Michaels… found dead in his house days after his release. He'd been shot with his own gun… the finger prints wiped clean. The killer obviously knew his stuff, because he'd made sure not to make any mistakes, and Lassiter had a feeling they were going nowhere fast. The first suspect had naturally been the wife, but sadly her alibi had been checked out and cleared. The wife had been staying over her parent's house because of marital problems involving his arrest. Although Carlton wasn't so sure they should have dismissed her so quickly, as it was until they found more evidence, Mrs. Vikki Michaels was simply a person of interest. All Lassiter knew was she wasn't to be trusted, but it would take more than 'gut feelings' to solve the case currently keeping him up at night.

They'd also tried to get in touch with James McCall's brother… Edward McCall in the hopes of finding someone with motive, but all the numbers had been old and turned off. The address had been a dead end; nowhere near California, and Lassiter's headache was only getting worse. Apparently the brother had moved to New York years ago, and hadn't been back to Santa Barbara since. Still, he wasn't desperate enough to pull Shawn Spencer in the case just yet! They had time, and he was determined to figure their new case out… even if Keith was a killer himself. Justice was justice as far as Carlton was concerned and he wasn't going to stop until he found the guy that'd taken the law into his own hands and killed Keith Michaels.

"Uh… Carlton?"

Lassiter looked up, eyebrow raised as he saw his partner standing over his desk, a file in hand. "What you got for me O'Hara?" he asked, trying to keep the eagerness from his tone.

Juliet frowned, opening the file. "Well I was doing some research on James McCall's brother… and apparently he was a detective some twenty years ago."

Carlton frowned, unsure if that was good news or bad news. "A detective?"

O'Hara nodded. "And this is where it gets weird. He quit the force soon after his brother's case was declared 'unsolved'… so I decide to get the information on who led the case… turns out it was none other than Officer Henry Spencer. Edward McCall and Henry Spencer were partners."

It just figures… the one time he managed to keep Spencer from a case and he managed to weasel his way in some other way. Lassiter frowned. "Call Henry Spencer… we need to know everything that happened when he was leading this case. Maybe he can help us find this Edward McCall…."

Juliet closed the file, handing it over to Carlton. "Really Carlton? You really think an ex-cop would commit murder? I mean, he was Henry Spencer's partner!"

"Rule number twenty-three, O'Hara. Never skip over a potential suspect because of background. If there's motive… there's a chance. We need to find this Edward McCall… and we need to find him now!"

To Be Continued

A/N: Every review means I will personally send a pineapple to a child in need of sweet goodness. So review... it's for the kids! :D


	3. Chapter 3

A Case Of Redemption

By Andie O'Neill

Fandom: Psych

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Shawn/Lassiter (Eventually), Gus/Juliet

Genre: Romance, Angst, Humor, Action, Mystery

Summary: Henry Spencer's old partner is back in town for a visit, but things go from bad to worse when a killer is found dead and Henry goes missing.

A/N: Thanks again to everyone that's been reviewing! I've been drinking them up like pineapple smoothies! :D Hope you guys like the chap! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Steve Franks and the USA network own the show and it's characters.

Part Three

* * *

Shawn had planned to check and see if his father's boat was still parked in it's usual space when he got the call from Juliet that she and Lassie were looking for Henry too… in connection with a cold case his father had led twenty years ago, and just like that Shawn's bad feeling went from a mild irritation to 'RED ALERT,' Star Trek style! He'd immediately called Gus. _"See dude, I knew something was up! You said to call if we had a case… well get your ass back to the office because I need magic head!"_ Juliet had asked Shawn for information about Edward McCall, a name Shawn hadn't heard in a very long time. Eddie McCall had been his father's partner for ten years before he'd upped and left. Shawn vividly remembered Eddie and his father getting into a verbal fight about a case Henry was working on, that'd been closed despite finding no killer. Henry had been the best of the best, and for him not to solve a case, especially one involving his own partner… well, it was safe to say Henry hadn't been pleased. The fact that one of his oldest friends didn't believe he'd done enough, had been salt on the open wound. Shawn hadn't seen Eddie McCall since.

Once Shawn had met up with Gus he'd immediately filled him in on what he'd found at his father's house. If Eddie were somehow involved, things had just gotten seriously complicated. The fact that Eddie was a possible murder suspect made it ten times worse. Henry was possibly missing, and the man who'd killed Eddie's brother was now dead himself. The one time they could really use the retired detective, and he was no where to be found. Things did not look good and Shawn was trying his best not to freak out. "Okay, what've we got?!" Shawn asked the moment he walked into Vick's office where McNab had informed both he and Gus was where Lassiter and Juliet were.

Chief Vick raised an eyebrow. "Have you been able to get in touch with your father, Mr. Spencer?"

Shawn frowned, glancing over at Lassie, and he had to be seeing things, because Lassiter looked almost… worried. "Gus and I were supposed to be at his house last night for dinner, but he wasn't home. The lights were off and his truck was gone. Now my spidey sense is tingling like crazy, and right now it's telling me something bad has happened… and Eddie's somehow involved."

"Eddie?" questioned Juliet.

"Eddie McCall… my Dad's old partner," Shawn clarified.

"It does seem a little convenient. First Keith Michaels is killed, then the man who originally worked on the case involving his partner's brother's murder, goes missing." Gus pointed out. Everyone turned to look at Gus for a second. "What?"

"Listen Chief, I know Henry's disappearance is connected somehow. Gus is right. The timing is too perfect. The spirits are telling me the only way to solve this case is to find my father before it's too late," said Shawn.

Lassiter shook his head. "Wait, he hasn't even been missing for the allotted time yet. For all we know he could have taken the boat out fishing or gone hiking. Besides, we haven't completely cleared Mrs. Michaels… just because she has an alibi doesn't mean anything. We've been fed false alibis before. For all we know this Eddie McCall is a dead end."

Spencer glared at Carlton. "Either way, you need my Dad's help to solve this case. He was the one that worked the case on James McCall's murder, and he may still be able to help you. You said you need to know everything you can about Eddie McCall and he and my father were partners for a little over ten years." Shawn looked back at Vick. "Help me out here, Chief! You know there's no way we can solve this without Henry's help. I know Eddie's involved somehow."

Vick leaned back in her chair, regarding Spencer for a moment, arms folded as she took a moment to decide their next step. "Alright… we try to find Henry."

"Chief-" Lassiter began to argue.

"No Carlton, Spencer's right. Our only link to Edward McCall is through Henry Spencer, and it's possibly the only one that can help us solve this case if they are indeed connected. Mr. Spencer, do you think you can use your gifts to locate Henry?" Karen Vick asked.

Shawn could feel the relief wash over him. "I'm sure of it, Chief! Believe me when I say you will not regret this!"

Vick grabbed a file from her desk with a sigh. "Somehow I doubt that very much, Mr. Spencer… just find us Edward McCall…" she ordered and walked out of her office.

Shawn turned to look at Lassiter. The worry had long since disappeared, and the fake psychic suspected it probably really had been his own imagination playing tricks. Instead was the usual disappointment Shawn was used to seeing when he got his way and Lassiter did not. "Don't look so down Lassie! With me and Gus here to help you'll solve this case in no time!" Shawn said, giving the detective a pat on the back. "Oh and sorry Jules… shotgun!" Shawn rushed out of the office, Gus not far behind.

"That's not fair, Shawn! We hadn't even decided whether we were going to be riding with Lassiter and Juliet! Shawn!"

* * *

Shawn Spencer had often been described as cocky by those who knew him or had gone to school with him… or had dated him. It wasn't so much that he knew what he was doing, but the fact that he could naturally make it look like he did. Even when he was wrong on a case, he could often twist it in a way that made it fit anyway. It had saved his ass on more than one occasion in the past during his time working for the Santa Barbara Police Department. Shawn was famous for jumping the gun, something his father Henry had often lectured him on, but when it came right down to it, sometimes Shawn had no choice. It was either find himself being pushed out of the case, or produce some results that would eventually lead them to the real killer. Later on if he'd made some mistakes in his assumptions he could always clean up the mess by shoving the puzzle piece in place despite the fact that it didn't fit, or simply blame it on the cluttered mind psychics often had to sift through in order to find truth.

Shawn knew he was about to have one of those moments when he looked out the window of the parking lot to see his father's cream colored truck. The glare he could almost feel from Gus was burning a hole into the back of his head, and he tried to ignore the smug smile on Lassiter's face upon the discovery that Henry Spencer was in fact, not lost at all, but had simply gone fishing on his boat. Yet still, despite all the evidence pointing to his father simply forgetting about the dinner date, Shawn didn't trust it. He ignored the truck currently laughing at him, and mentally recapped on the evidence he'd found at Henry's place. At some point he had been planning on that dinner or he never would have brought out the sauce, matches, and everything else. And it seemed highly unlikely that good ol' reliable Henry would just drop everything and decide to go fishing despite plans made before-hand.

"That's it, I'm calling Vick. She can get a call to her sister and have the coast guard keep an eye out for him," said Lassie, though the smug smile had yet to fade. "Looks like you were wrong, Spencer… and even better… I believe I was right, and you just wasted my time."

"Hold it Lassie, I don't like the looks of this," Shawn insisted. "I'm getting something dark from this truck."

"Drop it, Shawn; the truck is sitting right in front of us. Obviously something's blocking your psychic receptors," said Gus, trying to cover their asses as he usually did when Shawn was wrong. Shawn could detect the warning tone that was silently telling him to shut up before they ended up behind bars themselves.

Shawn rolled his eyes, opening the car door despite Gus' protests and walked over to the truck, peering through the window, and his eyes swept through the vehicle looking for clues. He smiled the moment he found something that supported his theory that Henry had in fact been kidnapped. Although part of him would have liked to be wrong… he knew he wasn't. "Hey Lassie, how many guys do you know that hotwire their own cars to go take a fishing trip?" he questioned, opening the door and looking under the steering wheel at the exposed wires underneath.

Lassiter got out of his car, Jules and Gus right behind him and frowned when Shawn pointed out the detail. "You have got to be kidding me," he muttered, and suddenly the smug smile was gone.

"Oh my god! Shawn, you were right! But that means whoever drove the car here was betting on us not looking too closely," said Jules, turning to look up at Lassiter and Shawn. "Now what?"

Spencer looked up at the camera hung up on one of the parking lot poles. "Now we find out exactly who took my Dad's truck and left it here for us to find."

"What about Henry's boat?" Gus asked.

Shawn shook his head. "Probably floating out in the ocean left to drift. They'd be expecting the Coast Guard to be our next stop, and if they were willing to go to this much trouble to send us on a wild goose chase, I'm willing to bet they'd do the same with the Coast Guard."

Suddenly Lassiter's worried look was back. "Whoever did this knew what he was doing. At this point we have to assume they've kidnapped Henry Spencer in connection to the murder of Keith Michaels."

If it were any other case Shawn would have probably made some cocky, smart ass remark that would make Gus and Jules roll their eyes, and Lassiter glare at him in annoyance, but none came to mind as his mind wandered to just how badly things looked that a murder had managed to kidnap his father. He shared a look with Gus, closed the truck door and headed straight for the building nearby that would lead them to the next clue and hopefully help them save Henry's life before it was too late.

* * *

"His name is Jason Nelson," Lassiter began, dropping the file in front of Chief Vick's desk. After retrieving the video tape of the last few days they'd managed to find a clear enough picture to get an ID on whoever had been driving the car. Carlton had never expected to go so smoothly, which often meant nothing was what it seemed, and they were far from finding the true person responsible for Michaels murder, but it was a step in the right direction. Apparently it hadn't been the first time Nelson had gotten himself into trouble, and Lassiter doubted that it would be the last. He was an older man, very similar in size and shape to Henry Spencer, but at least ten years younger.

Shawn raised a finger as he lounged in one of the chairs in front of Vick's desk. "Question… is there any relation to Judd Nelson? Perhaps a second cousin twice removed?"

Lassiter sighed, trying his best to keep control as he gritted his teeth and continued. "O'Hara and I have already brought him in for questioning but he's not talking."

Spencer slammed his hand down on Vick's desk, drawing everyone's attention back to him, something he was very good at. "Chief, let me get a crack at of him. I know I can get us more information… I'll be able to at least read if he's lying or telling the truth and maybe this will lead us to finding my father and our killer."

Vick hesitated for a moment, glancing at Lassiter, but Carlton remained silent. It was Spencer's father that had gone missing, and despite the fact that the proclaimed psychic had emotional ties to the case, he couldn't bring himself to object to the man's help. He didn't want to see anything happen to Henry anymore than Spencer did, and not even Carlton could argue with results. "Okay, get what you can from him, but I want Lassiter in there with you."

"Chief, it'd be better if I handled this on my own. A cops just going to make him clam up… he'll never talk with Lassie around," Shawn protested.

Lassiter straightened just a bit. "I'll watch from the sidelines, Chief," he told her.

Vick nodded, though Carlton could see the hesitation in her eyes. "Fine, but I want this handled with care. We already have reporters harping on our backs about this case and I want things done correctly."

Shawn sprinted up in a flash. "Thank you, Chief! I promise I won't let you down!" he assured her quickly, and was out of the office before Carlton could blink.

The detective gave her one brief tired glance, then followed behind.

* * *

The first thing Shawn noticed when he walked over to the window was how completely opposite Jason Nelson looked when compared to the infinitely more handsome Judd Nelson. He was around the same complexion as Henry, bald, and lacked the intense gaze that made Judd Nelson great. Plus he hadn't flared his nostrils once since Shawn had first started watching him, looking for something to give him a clue as to how to proceed. He did however notice the calluses on his finger tips that told Shawn he was a guitarist. He saw the tattoo on Nelson's right arm that told Shawn he was into skateboarding and may have, in fact, been doing it since the seventies. And finally he saw it… the thing that was gonna help Shawn gain Nelson's trust enough for him to spill his guts. He'd first noticed the tan line around Nelson's finger that signaled he was divorced, and the almost secret glance as Buzz McNab left the interrogation room. Jason Nelson had checked out Buzz's ass… because Jason Nelson was gay. Shawn smiled and looked over at Lassiter. "Watch and learn, Lassie."

To Be Continued

A/N: You know you wanna review. Shawn can sense it. It can't be healthy to keep all those comments in, after all! lol


	4. Chapter 4

A Case Of Redemption

By Andie O'Neill

Fandom: Psych

Rating: PG-13 (Subject to Change… maybe R in later chapters)

Warning: Some Spoilers For S3, Slash (Obviously)

Pairing: Shawn/Lassiter (Eventually), Gus/Juliet

Genre: Romance, Angst, Humor, Action, Mystery

Summary: Henry Spencer's old partner is back in town for a visit, but things go from bad to worse when a killer is found dead and Henry goes missing.

A/N: Psych comes on tonight! I can't believe the seasons already over! It just doesn't seem fair! But anyway, here's another chapter. Writing this proved to be a great distraction to get me over the depression that the season finale's tonight, and here's to hoping it helps you guys too! :) Thanks a million for everyone who's sticking with the story. And remember reviews are like coffee… once you give me a taste I have to have more or I go into withdraw. And you guys wouldn't do that to me would you? :D

Disclaimer: Steve Franks and the USA network own the show and it's characters.

* * *

Part Four

In high school, as in life in general, there was always a class distinction. There was the ever popular 'jock' that scored all the touchdowns, had the hottest chick on his arm, and rarely knew his ABCs from his 123s unless tutored first. Then there was the 'semi-cool kid' who somehow managed to get invited to all the really cool parties, but was never really remembered as he spent most of his time being the designated driver and later spent the morning scrubbing puke from his car. Of course none could forget the 'rebel' who came from the bad part of town, rarely even went to school, and often wasted away in detention for smoking in the bathroom, or beating some geek until he pee'd his pants. Lowest on the totem pole was the dork who did the cool kid's homework, played 'Lord of the Rings' video games, and swore one day to exact revenge on all those who'd done him wrong. Then there'd been Shawn.

He'd belonged to a very select, very special group who were often overlooked by the teachers, marked as slackers and the ones that wouldn't amount to anything. Shawn was pretty sure the technical term was 'class clown.' There was one in every classroom and it was their job to entertain their fellow students whenever possible. The 'class clown' was often extremely smart, had to be quick on his feet, with a charming smile that was often used to make the girls swoon and the boys become green with envy. In this case, charm was a must, and all those years spent improving this skill would become invaluable in helping Shawn not only find Henry, but solve a murder. (Take that Professor Anderson! And you said 'class clownery' did no one any good!)

Shawn paused at the door, unbuttoning the first two buttons of his flannel shirt to show a little skin, giving Lassiter a knowing smile when he caught the detective staring, then opened the door to the interrogation room. In less than a second his knowing smile turned into his coy 'come hither' smile as he walked over to the man sitting quietly, arms folded on the table. Jason Nelson raised a curious eyebrow, giving Shawn the once over before Spencer noticed his pupils dilate. Jackpot! He was _so_ in! Shawn hopped onto the table, and looked down at Nelson. "It seems you've been a naughty boy, Jason… hotwiring and stealing cars? Very naughty indeed."

Nelson rolled his eyes. "You're no cop," he muttered.

"Of course not. I'm Shawn Spencer… head psychic detective for the Santa Barbara Police Department."

"Psychic?" Nelson questioned with a disbelieving look. "You're yankin' my chain right?"

"I never yank, Mr. Nelson, although I have been known to pull… and when the need calls for it… jerk. Now, the police have in their possession a video tape staring you… exiting a stolen vehicle and leaving it parked. Curious considering most people wouldn't bother stealing a car only to ditch it minutes later in some parking lot. We know you were paid to do it… all we want is a name," Shawn said, leaning forward just a bit.

Nelson shook his head. "No way, man… I'm not telling you a thing. One name and I'm a dead man. This guy is serious news."

Shawn sighed, expecting the resistance, and leaned forward just a bit more, allowing Nelson a glimpse at his toned chest. He moved a hand to play with a thread hanging from the other guy's plain white T. "You forget Jason… I'm a psychic. You really think I expected you to just shrug and tell me everything I need to know? The lovely detectives who came before already tried that… and failed, which is why they sent me. I can already sense the name swirling through that shiny little head of yours… along with… music notes? A musician? Guitarist? I always wanted to date a guitarist," Shawn spoke, lowering his voice just a bit, keeping his eyes locked on Nelson as he bit his lip shyly. He knew Nelson's type, and he was playing him like a fiddle. He knew how to manipulate… he'd been doing it for too many years to count.

Nelson frowned. "How did you… how did you know I was a guitarist?"

Shawn cocked his head to the side. "Same way I know you were married once… but she divorced you when she found out your secret… the one you were denying for a very, very long time," he answered as a children's jump rope song came to mind. "I like coffee, I like tea… I like the boys and the boys like me," he sang softly. He immediately frowned, eyes widening as if surprised, a hand resting against his temple as if he were getting a vision. "You tried denying it for years, but you just couldn't ignore it any longer. You got married young because at the time it was the only way to hide what you were. The crowd you hung out with wasn't too fond of such a… alternate lifestyle and frankly you didn't want any part of it either. You ignored who you were for so long, but you couldn't do it anymore. So you gave in… and she found out."

Nelson swallowed hard. "How are you doing this, man?"

"How long have you known, Jason? That you were gay, I mean."

He wasn't backing away, and Shawn knew he had him. "Holy shit," said Jason, eyes wide in surprise.

Shawn slowly backed away, dropping his hand from the loose thread of Nelson's shirt. "I can see that name floating around in your head, but I can't do all the work myself, Jason. Tell me what you know."

Nelson looked away for a moment, rubbing his face for a moment before he leaned back in his chair with a tired sigh. "Alright… alright. His name was Eddie… he never gave me a last name. He had an accent… New York, I think. He offered me a thousand bucks cash to steal a truck and park it somewhere special… said he'd take care of all the rest. At first I thought it was some trick, that he was a cop trying to trap me into somethin' and catch me red handed, but he didn't look the type to fool around. There was a man with him, stuffed in the guy's car unconscious. He wanted me specifically because we looked similar and he told me if I opened my mouth about any of it I'd be drinking through a straw for the rest of my days."

Shawn's eyes widened fractionally as he realized it was Henry who'd been in the car unconscious. "Did you get a license plate? Or at least know where they were headed?" he asked.

Jason shook his head. "Naw, that's all I was allowed to know, but if it helps any… he met me at a shop not far from here. It was a coffee shop… 'Pan's Diner.' That's all I know."

Shawn nodded, moving his hand to Nelson's cheek for a moment. "I believe you… and the spirits thank you for your cooperation, Jason," he said, getting up to leave.

"Hey… uh psychic?"

Shawn turned back around. "Yeah?"

Nelson looked a mixture of nervousness and curiosity. "Maybe when I get outta here… you and I… could go out sometime? Maybe catch some dinner or something?"

Spencer just grabbed the door. "Sorry Jason, but I'm afraid I'm already taken. I have a thing for cops," he admitted, knowing Lassiter would hear.

Jason snorted in amusement. "Who doesn't?"

Shawn smiled, then walked out of the room, closing the door behind him and looked over at Lassiter. "And that, my dear Lassie, is why I'm the Psychic Detective."

Lassiter sighed, rolling his eyes, and Shawn couldn't help but notice the glare he sent Nelson through the window before walking past. "Shut up, Spencer."

* * *

Carlton Lassiter didn't get jealous. Even with Victoria, he'd always managed to control those feelings when a guy would give her an interested look or get a little too friendly. He'd learned long ago that jealousy solved nothing, and had happily convinced himself (at the time) that he had nothing to worry about. Victoria had been his wife, and when those brief moments of doubt appeared he'd quickly replace them with memories of their wedding and all Victoria had gone through just to marry Carlton. The fact that they were currently going through a divorce made him wonder if perhaps he'd been just a bit too confident. Perhaps it hadn't been another man that got in between them, but it was obvious there hadn't needed to be. Victoria had made up her mind, and despite all Carlton's hard work, she'd decided she'd had enough and moved on… so he had too.

The detective had been through enough conflicting emotions to write a book, and between his brief affair with his ex-partner, and the confusing emotions he'd been feeling for a certain pain in the ass psychic detective… he was pretty sure therapy would be a necessity if he didn't get his life under control. For the most part he'd learned to deal with the strange emotions that swelled inside whenever the 'psychic' teased and touched him inappropriately… often fueling the frustration he felt by taking it out on Spencer. He'd learned to be just a bit more civil with Spencer over the years, but Shawn Spencer had yet to learn the importance of personal space. Lassiter could ignore that too, though. Hell, he could even ignore Spencer's pathetic attempts at flirting with O'Hara. He'd gotten used to being in control of each conflicting emotion as it crashed against him… but never had he been forced to contend with jealousy.

Watching Shawn Spencer shamelessly flirt with a man in their custody had been a test of all Carlton's will power, and more than once he'd had to force himself to stay put and not grab Spencer up from his collar and drag him out of the room. It was for the good of the case… for the good of Henry, but sweet justice did Spencer know how to make things difficult! The emotion had caught Lassiter completely off guard and he hadn't quite known what to do with it when he'd been forced to watch Spencer play with a thread hanging from Nelson's shirt. He'd tightened his hands into fists, gritted his teeth, and reminded himself that it was only an act and Spencer couldn't possible have any real interest in Jason Nelson. Carlton wasn't surprised at just how good of an actor the 'psychic' could be when the need called for it. He'd already managed to convince most of the officers at the station that he was psychic… so of course he could make Jason Nelson think Spencer was actually interested.

Spencer's last remark to Nelson before leaving the room had sent Lassiter's emotions into a tail spin and he'd forced every bone in his body to follow his commands and resist the temptation to push Spencer against the nearest wall and explain just how 'taken' he could be. The detective couldn't help but wonder how Spencer would react. Lassiter often suspected Shawn Spencer was all talk. He obviously had no problem flirting with those of his own sex, but how would he react if one of those persons took action? Carlton knew he didn't exactly seem like the kind of guy who was interested in men. Most of the time he was as straight as an arrow, and wouldn't know how to relax even if he had the manual shoved into his hands while being forced to watch the video that goes with it. He'd been raised to live by the job, and everything else had always been pushed to the side.

He didn't take chances like other people did. He didn't wear casual clothes and just hang out with friends like normal people. That didn't mean he didn't have feelings, and currently those feelings seemed to revolve around a certain 'psychic.' Irony was truly a bitch. Of all the people Lassiter could have fallen for, he'd had to fall for his exact opposite in every way, shape, and form. Carlton wasn't sure how it'd happened exactly, but until he figured things out he did his best to ignore any rebellious thoughts urging him to take action and see whether Spencer really was all talk.

Lassiter quickly pushed aside any thoughts of jealousy, because it simply wasn't possible and focused on the drive to the diner where Spencer seemed confident they would find answers to further their investigation. However the detective _could_ dwell on just how much he wished they could go through their investigation as they always did. He and O'Hara would do their police work, and Spencer and Guster would be off doing their… 'psychic' thing until the case was solved and the bad guys were put away. He really wasn't sure how much longer he could stand working with Spencer before the walls started to crumble and some of his control began to wear thin. The tiny sparks of jealousy were only the beginning and Lassiter had a bad feeling with Henry's life on the line there was no way they'd avoid emotional complications. Fuck.

* * *

Pan's Diner was a quaint little place that looked like it'd come right out of the sixties, complete with the black and white tiles, thunderbird décor, and various advertisements of cartoon women all dolled up and happy as they enjoyed their 'refreshing' coca cola. Shawn turned to Gus. "Dude, did we just hop into the Tardis with the 'Doctor' and take a little trip through time or what?"

Gus raised an eyebrow, obviously not amused. "You really need to stop watching Doctor Who. You know I don't like that show. I still haven't gotten over the nightmares of being chased down by weird looking robots trying to destroy the human race," Guster told him.

Spencer rolled his eyes. "Gus, you really need to get over that. I told you, you get American Duos on Friday nights and I get Doctor Who on Saturdays. We agreed."

"That was before my nightmare, Shawn!" Gus protested.

"Uh guys… think we could focus on the case?" interrupted Juliet, standing in between the two best friends.

Gus immediately blushed, and Shawn made a mental note to tease his friend mercilessly about it later. For now, he had more important things to worry about. Shawn walked up to the hostess with Lassiter. The hostess immediately smiled. "Hello and welcome to Pan's dinner. Table for two?"

"Unfortunately no. I'm Shawn Spencer, head psychic for the Santa Barbara Police Department and this here is Head Detective Sweet Lips Lassiter," he spoke before Carlton could.

Lassie immediately glared at up, flashing his badge. "My name is Detective _Carlton Lassiter_," he corrected.

"I've heard it both ways," muttered Shawn under his breath.

Carlton ignored him. "We need to ask you some questions." He then pulled out a picture of the man they'd recently arrested, Jason Nelson. "We have reason to believe this man came here days ago to meet with another man who may be a murder suspect in a case we're working on," Lassiter explained.

The hostess, Jenny was her name, Shawn noted from her name tag, nodded immediately. "Yeah, I remember him. It was a few days ago. The other guy came in first… black hair, older. At first I thought he was cop… noticed he had a gun and I dunno… he just carried himself like he was a police officer. He came in here with a woman, sat down… ordered eggs and a cup of ice tea."

"I'm sorry; did you say he was here with a woman?" Shawn asked. Nelson had never mentioned any woman.

Jenny nodded once more. "They didn't walk in together, but she sat down and spoke with him for a while. I remember she looked pretty upset about something. When the other guy showed up she got up and sat at the next booth. She ordered some coffee."

"Did either of them by any chance pay with a card?" asked Juliet, and Shawn was reminded of just why she was such a good detective.

"The guy didn't, but the woman did. She didn't have any cash on her. We still have the receipts if you'd like-"

"Yes, yes… go get them," said Lassiter, just a little too eager.

"One sec," Jenny said, leaving them for a moment.

It was amazing how slow time went when lives were on the line and they were waiting for a key piece of evidence that might help break their case wide open, and help Shawn find his father. He'd been doing his best not to think about Henry, but the more he thought of Eddie, the more he worried about what the man was capable of after so many years. He never in a million years would have suspected that Eddie could kill Henry. Shawn may not have been a cop himself, but he understood the kind of bond that developed between partners… he'd seen it happen with Henry. Anyone who'd ever been Henry's partner had always been like surrogate family to the Spencer household. Eddie had been the first, and although Shawn knew Eddie was somehow involved and perhaps responsible for Keith Michaels' murder, it didn't make it any easier to accept. He was having trouble reconciling 'Uncle Eddie' with the man they were currently trying to find. Shawn could only hope that the bond that had developed between Eddie and Henry hadn't faded away completely. He didn't even want to imagine what would become of his father if it really had faded.

Spencer was pulled from his thoughts when the hostess returned, holding a single receipt. She immediately handed it to Juliet who frowned upon noticing the name at the top. "This can't be right."

"Jules?" questioned Shawn.

"O'Hara give it up, what's the name?" urged Lassiter.

Juliet turned to look at her partner, holding the receipt up for him to see. Shawn saw the name, recognizing it immediately as Keith Michaels' wife. "What was Mrs. Vikki Michaels doing with Eddie McCall?" Juliet questioned.

To Be Continued

A/N: Let me know what ya thought! Pretty please with yummy pineapple on top? :D


	5. Chapter 5

A Case Of Redemption

By Andie O'Neill

Fandom: Psych

Rating: PG-13 (Subject to Change… maybe R in later chapters)

Warning: Some Spoilers For S3, Slash (Obviously)

Pairing: Shawn/Lassiter (Eventually), Gus/Juliet

Genre: Romance, Angst, Humor, Action, Mystery

Summary: Henry Spencer's old partner is back in town for a visit, but things go from bad to worse when a killer is found dead and Henry goes missing.

A/N: I would have had this post out yesterday but things got in the way. But it's here now, and as a special treat I bring a chapter with Shassie goodness! Enjoy! :D

Disclaimer: Steve Franks and the USA network own the show and it's characters.

* * *

Part Five

Since Shawn Spencer had first begun his work as 'psychic' for the SBPD, Lassiter had been forced to adapt to the competition. Every case demanded his 'A game' when Spencer was involved, and although often he found himself falling behind, there were rare occasions when he managed to score points for good old fashion police work. This was one of those times, and it'd taken everything Lassiter had not to rub it in Spencer's face as he might have done years before, knowing just how serious the case really was for the 'psychic.' After speaking with the hostess at Pan's Diner they'd immediately called the chief to inform her of the turn their case had taken. Spencer had been insistent that something didn't feel right, but Carlton was going to follow his gut like he should have been doing from the beginning. He'd known something was off with Vikki Michaels, and alibi or not, he could sense guilt. Michaels simply wasn't that good an actress.

Their next stop had been Mrs. Michaels' parent's house, which was where Vikki was staying as her own home was a crime scene, but her parents had claimed they hadn't seen her for days. They'd gotten a call the day before and she'd assured them that she was fine, but wouldn't be around for a few weeks as she needed to take care of some things. They'd been getting worried when she hadn't called them since, but figured it'd just slipped her mind. After making a few more stops they'd returned to the station for the day. Lassiter was busy filing paperwork that he'd been putting off for weeks. He'd tried to get O'Hara to do it, but he already owed her enough as it was. He'd just have to bite the bullet and do his work whether he wanted to or not. It'd been hours since they'd returned to the station and things had gotten quiet the later it got. Chief Vick had long since left for the day, as well as many of the other officers, leaving only those on night shift and Carlton was enjoying the quiet.

Although he was barely willing to accept it, even in his head, more than anything he was simply enjoying the peace of not having Spencer around… at least that's what he'd thought until he noticed the half drunk pineapple smoothie sitting on O'Hara's desk. Carlton frowned. He hadn't seen Spencer or Guster around since O'Hara left, but that didn't necessarily mean they'd _left_. He wasn't quite sure what pushed him to leave his desk and explore the station until noticing an open door that lead to the gun range. It'd been awhile since Lassiter had been there himself, and he couldn't help but think after the day he'd had that he could use some shooting practice to let off some steam. For Carlton shooting practice was more than just squeezing a trigger. It was the best kind of release you can have without sex, and since Carlton obviously wasn't having sex anytime soon… he figured he should go for the next best thing. He immediately walked inside, grabbing his protective glasses, ear plugs, and a few rounds for his gun when he noticed he wasn't alone. Usually this late at night it was rare for others to be in the range. He walked down each stall until he found the one being used, and immediately froze as he watched none other than Shawn Spencer standing in the stall, gun held up as he fired off all the rounds in his gun.

Being quite the enthusiast himself, Carlton couldn't help admiring how strangely at ease Spencer looked with a gun. He was a natural, and Lassiter ignored the whispered words in the back of his head that added, 'damn sexy.' For those few moments it seemed all the excess energy Spencer had was gone as he held still, adjusted his stance, and squeezed the trigger. Shawn's eyes were narrowed, serious, and Carlton was reminded of just how little he really knew about the younger man. He was seeing a side of the 'psychic' that Carlton had no doubt was very private, and if anyone else was allowed to see it, it'd be Guster. Lassiter waited, barely breathing, for Shawn to take off his ear plugs, and flip the switch that would bring his target sheet up. Carlton was amazed by Spencer's aim, noticing most of the bullets had hit the heart, dead center in the chest, and a few more in the head. Being the son of a cop, Carlton supposed it wasn't that much of a stretch to believe the man knew how to handle a weapon, but the thought simply hadn't occurred to Lassiter until he saw it with his own eyes. "Impressive Spencer," he found himself saying as he walked into the booth, leaning against one of the walls, arms crossed.

Shawn turned, and Carlton was a bit disappointed to realize the 'psychic' hadn't been taken off guard. "Yeah well, I've been going to the shooting range since I was old enough to hold a gun," he muttered, disassembling his 9mm. He took off his goggles, giving Lassiter a better look into the younger man's eyes. He could see the stress was getting to Spencer, could see it in the faint circles around the man's eyes. Most days Shawn looked as if he didn't have a care in the world. As Carlton looked at him now it seemed like the other man was now carrying the weight of the world.

"Come here often?" he asked, and almost snorted as he realized he'd just spat out a pick up line. He could only hope that Spencer was too distracted to notice.

Shawn flashed a faint smile. For a moment Lassiter was sure the younger man was going to make some remark… some comment, but was pleasantly surprised… and perhaps a bit worried when he ignored the innuendo in Carlton's words. "Not really. Gus left awhile ago to get some rest, but I really didn't feel like going home when we're still no closer to solving this thing than we were yesterday."

Carlton stood quiet for a moment, letting Spencer's words sink in, and he was surprised at how strongly he had to resist reaching out to touch the other man. He'd never seen the 'psychic' quite so subdued before, and although he'd always expected to enjoy seeing that such a side did exist, instead it only left the detective feeling cold. Spencer was larger than life most of the time, and to see him so ragged and reserved… it just didn't sit well with Lassiter. He couldn't believe it, but he was actually starting to miss the old Shawn Spencer. "We will find your father, Spencer. I promise," he found himself whispering, looking the younger man in the eye to prove just how serious he was. Lassiter would not rest until they had found the elder Spencer. Lassiter considered Henry a friend, and knew despite the rocky relationship that he was important to Shawn as well. He wouldn't let either down just as they'd never let Carlton down. It was the least the detective could do.

Shawn nodded, leaning back against the opposite wall. "I know, Lassie."

Carlton nodded, assured that Spencer could see just how serious he was. The two men stood there in the booth for a long time afterward. Shawn slipped back into his babbling ways, and Lassiter slipped back into playful banter with the 'psychic' and for the first time since everything had begun… they both forgot about the case. Although Lassiter would never admit it out loud, it'd been far more relaxing joking with Shawn than his plans to get off a few rounds would have been.

It wasn't until the next morning that they got the call that Vikki Michaels had been found in a car parked by the beach. Lassiter had fallen asleep, hunched over his desk, head resting on a pile of paperwork. Across from him Spencer had also fallen asleep, legs resting crossed on Lassiter's desk, with his head tilted back, and hands folded in his lap. Neither spoke about the night before as they grabbed their jackets and rushed off.

* * *

Since the dawn of time sons have always had issues with their fathers. Shawn didn't need statistics, or graphs, or even diagrams to tell him it was an inevitable fact that could not be avoided. Personally, Shawn had spent a great deal of time finding reasons to hate Henry… to blame Henry. Anything wrong in Shawn's life was automatically Henry's fault. Shawn knew on some level that it was unfair, and his mother had lectured him more than once that it could have been much worse. Despite everything, Henry loved Shawn, and although Shawn often argued that point, even he knew it was true. From Henry's point of view he'd only been trying to create a better future for his son, and all the training, riding Shawn's ass, and lessons on life had been Henry's way of taking care of his responsibilities. In a nut-shell, it was Henry's way of telling his son he loved him.

Over the years since he'd decided to try and reconcile with Henry he'd learned not everything Henry had done when Shawn was growing up had been bad. Working for the SBPD was great work that made Spencer happy, because at the end of the day Shawn was nothing if not a product of his upbringing. He did something worthwhile. He solved crimes, saved lives, and for once Shawn had a purpose in life. When Shawn had first realized Henry had gone missing he'd immediately been forced to contend with his issues with his father. They bickered and fought, but that didn't mean Shawn didn't care. In most families this would be the part when they remembered all the horrible things they'd ever said, regrets they could no longer ignore. Shawn was not one of those people. He'd been trained better than that.

When lives were on the line Shawn focused all his energy on the case until it was solved. Then again, Shawn never had been good with emotional stuff. It was easier to crack jokes than face feelings that would make everyone uncomfortable. He wasn't going to rest until his father was safe and Eddie was stopped. Shawn stared at the body lying unnaturally over the steering wheel. Vikki Michaels was dead, and Shawn couldn't help but feel Eddie was leaving him a message. He looked over at the 'Bubble Yum' wrapper on the dash board, the gun thrown on the seat next to Michaels… a gun Shawn recognized the moment he saw it. Shawn didn't need to wait of them to see if the gun was registered, and if it was, to whom. He knew who owned the gun, and his name was Henry Spencer. Shawn ran a hand through his hair and looked over at Lassiter, who looked just as disturbed with the turn their case was taking. "Still think she killed her husband, Lassie?" he asked. He didn't expect an answer. Lassiter's silence was an answer in itself.

* * *

They'd returned to the station to fill in Chief Vick on the twists the case was taking. Things were getting out of hand fast, and Shawn couldn't really blame Vick for being uncomfortable with the situation. The fact that Eddie had most likely killed someone else left a bad taste in everyone's mouth and even Shawn was starting to get nervous. What possible reason could Eddie have had to kill Vikki Michaels? Keith Michaels, Shawn could understand. The guy had possibly been responsible for James McCall's death. In Eddie's mind if the law could let Michaels go, than Shawn could see Eddie taking things into his own hands, even if it was still murder. Wrong was wrong, but when Shawn thought of what he'd be capable if someone were to hurt Gus, or someone else he cared about… well, he wondered just where that road would lead him.

Vikki Michaels couldn't have been involved in the murder of James McCall, and Spencer just wasn't sure why Eddie had believed she too deserved death. If his father were around he'd have some annoying piece of wisdom to share that would help organize Shawn's thoughts, eventually helping Shawn solve the case… but Henry wasn't around. That was the problem. "Chief, I still think we need to look into what Vikki Michaels was up to, and why she was meeting with Eddie McCall in the first place. It may be that she was somehow working with McCall and when he no longer needed her, he decide to off her as well," said Lassiter as he stood stiffly by his partner.

Shawn raised a hand to his temple as images flashed in his mind. The gum wrapper, Henry's gun, the number lying on the floor of her car next to her purse… he could see it all, and slowly he began to connect what dots he could. "Lassie's right, well half right. Vikki Michaels was killed for some dark sinister reason. She lied… lied to Lassie and Jules about her whereabouts. If we find the truth… we find out what's really going on and why she'd be meeting with her husband's killer." Shawn lowered his hand. "Chief… I'm seeing something… numbers. A card."

"Yeah," confirmed Juliet. "It was by her purse. It had a name on it, Riley-"

"Hews. Riley Hews," interrupted Shawn, eyes wide. "Yes… he holds the answers we seek. Find him, and we learn what really went on."

Vick narrowed her eyes at Shawn for a moment before nodding. "Alright… find him, bring him in for questioning."

* * *

After taking a brief break for churros and smoothies Shawn and Gus had returned to the station. Shawn had been hoping to catch Buzz McNab and see if he could get some old files on the McCall murder, but they'd yet to find the officer, and instead found themselves wandering the Police Department's hallways. Shawn could tell his friend had something on his mind, and was getting tired of waiting for the other man to get the courage to actually say it. "Spit it out, Gus… you're far to quiet and you know how awkward silences frighten me," said Shawn.

Gus frowned. "What happened to you last night, Shawn? Did you really spend the night at the station?" Spencer had been waiting for the question most of the morning. Gus tended to be a bit of a worry-wart, and with Henry missing Shawn knew it would only get worse.

"Relax dude, I wasn't alone. Lassie was there too."

"Oh well, that makes me feel _much_ better," muttered Gus.

Shawn stopped walking for a moment, raising his hand to his temple as if he were getting a vision. "Why Gusterella, is that sarcasm I sense?"

Gus glared at Shawn. "You should have been home getting some rest. In some reported cases lack of sleep has caused drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, lack of concentration, and it severely drains your ability to function normally. Prolonged insomnia has even caused people to hallucinate!" Gus told him.

Spencer bit back a groan. Sometimes Gus really was worse than his mother and father combined. "You know, you'd make a great spokesman, Gus. You totally nailed that, dude!"

"It's not funny, Shawn!"

Shawn rolled his eyes. "Relax… don't go all mother hen on me. I did sleep," he assured Gus, "with Lassie," he added just to mess with his best friend's head. Shawn immediately quickened his step through the station, hiding a smile as he waiting for Gus to process what he'd just said. Technically he had slept with Lassiter… just not in a sexual way, but they had been in the same room. It still counted.

"Say what?! Shawn! Tell me you're not serious! _Shawn_!" shouted Gus. Shawn paused when he saw the man walking into the station as Gus ran to catch up with him. "Sha-" Shawn raised a hand, cutting Gus off as he stared at the man and knew exactly who he was. Riley Hews.

When Shawn first saw Riley Hews he couldn't help picturing the man in a banana hammock, while holding one of those nets people cleaned pools with. He just screamed pool boy, and it didn't take a psychic to realize just why the number had been in Vikki Michaels' car. Hews was at least six feet tall, with curly black hair, and green eyes that Shawn was sure many women (and perhaps a few men) could get lost in. There was no doubt he worked out, as his tight red T-shirt left nothing to imagination, and Spencer silently wondered how Hews had managed to fit in the jeans that were currently clinging to his skin. His eyes conveyed fear and worry. Hews obviously knew something bad had happened, but had yet been told just why he'd been called in. Spencer watched from afar for a moment as Juliet walked over to him. "Hi Mr. Hews?" she greeted, voice even, giving nothing away. "I'm Detective Juliet O'Hara."

Hews nodded, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Hey… uh, you can call me Riley. Is this about Vikki? Is she okay? She hasn't been in touch with me and when the police called they mentioned her name…" he paused, taking a breath. "Tell me she's okay." He was almost begging Juliet, and Shawn almost pitied the guy.

Juliet frowned. "I'm sorry… Riley, but Vikki Michaels was found dead this morning in her car. We're investigating her murder and we were hoping you might have information that could help us solve this case," she said, voice soft and filled with regret.

Riley took a step back, as if he'd just been sucker punched. "Oh Jesus… I told her she was in over her head. Damn it Vikki… why didn't she listen to me?"

Shawn chose that moment to glance over and Gus, and the two walked up behind Juliet. "If you don't mind me asking Mr. Hews… exactly what was your relationship with Mrs. Michaels?" Spencer asked.

Riley Hews looked up at him, licking his lips, and Shawn's suspicions were confirmed before he even spoke the words. "We were lovers…" he whispered sadly.

To Be Continued

A/N: Comments are chocolate chip cookies dipped in milk. You know ya wanna! :D


	6. Chapter 6

A Case Of Redemption

By Andie O'Neill

Fandom: Psych

Rating: PG-13 (Subject to Change… maybe R in later chapters)

Warning: Some Spoilers For S3, Slash (Obviously)

Pairing: Shawn/Lassiter (Eventually), Gus/Juliet

Genre: Romance, Angst, Humor, Action, Mystery

Summary: Henry Spencer's old partner is back in town for a visit, but things go from bad to worse when a killer is found dead and Henry goes missing.

A/N: Sorry this took so long! I'll try to be better! In the meantime, enjoy! :D

Disclaimer: Steve Franks and the USA network own the show and it's characters.

* * *

Part Six

Normally when Lassiter had someone in his interrogation room they were guilty, or potentially guilty of some sort of crime. Riley Hews had done nothing wrong, and in fact had just lost someone he obviously cared for even if it meant Vikki Michaels had been technically having an affair with the man. His normal tactics were not going to work. He wasn't good at playing the good cop. He liked making people sweat. He liked the rush of seeing fear in another person's eyes. Yes, it was fucked up, but then again that was Carlton in a nut-shell. He knew he had issues and he didn't give a damn. For the most part his 'bad ass cop' routine produced results. This time Carlton was more than willing to sit back and let O'Hara take the wheel. Lassiter watched O'Hara smile sadly at Hews. "When was the last time you saw, Vikki Michaels?" she asked.

Riley Hews sighed, leaning forward as his head fell in his hands. "A few days ago… after her husband was killed. She was planning on leaving him for me, but after the cops picked her up and grilled her she was terrified if they found out about our affair that she'd be blamed. They'd poke holes in her alibi and slap on the cuffs."

Juliet frowned. "She claimed she was at her parents house when the murder took place, are you saying she lied?" O'Hara questioned.

Riley looked up at the junior detective. "She and Keith got into a fight that night. He found out about me and it wasn't pretty. She left and went straight over to my apartment… completely freaked about the whole thing. When she got the call that Keith had been murdered she knew who would go down for the blame. It all fit. They'd argued the night of his death, she was having an affair, and she didn't have much of an alibi either. She called her parents and begged them to confirm her alibi. She didn't want the cops to know about me. Then a few days after that she gets this call from some guy… said he had an accent."

Lassiter immediately sat up in his seat, interest perked. "A New York accent?"

Riley nodded. "Yeah… he told her he knew all about her affair, the fight… everything and that if she didn't meet him he'd leak it to the cops… give em enough evidence to get her put away for life. I knew I should have been with her, but the guy… Eddie… he didn't want me involved. They met once and he told her he wanted information."

Lassiter silently wondered if Vikki would be alive today if he hadn't been so damn suspicious of her. Once more he'd gotten it wrong, judged a person with half the evidence. Spencer had been right. The only thing Vikki Michaels had been guilty of his lying. "Information about what?"

Hews shook his head. "Something about a cold case… about her husband. He wanted an address…" he told them.

Suddenly Carlton's heart froze as a cold chill ran down his spine. "Who's address?"

Hews ran a hand through his hair. "The last time she spoke to me… apparently whatever this cold case was about, it had to do with Keith. The case was closed twenty some years ago and this Eddie guy told her that someone was protecting Keith. He wanted the address of Keith Michaels' father… Hector Michaels."

Carlton cursed under his breath and turned to look at O'Hara who seemed confused. He never even thought about it. He'd been through the cold case file a million times and he'd never once wondered why the case was closed all those years ago. It wasn't uncommon that cases were pushed aside, never solved. He'd never noticed the connection before, and he wasn't sure how in the hell he could have missed it. What kind of detective was he if he couldn't notice a simple name? Suddenly it all made sense and he was grabbing his jacket. "Carlton?" said O'Hara, standing along with him.

Lassiter turned to Riley Hews. "Thank you, Mr. Hews for you're cooperation. You've been extremely helpful… and my condolences for your loss," he rushed as he left the interrogation room.

"Carlton, what the hell?!" shouted O'Hara from behind him.

Finally Lassiter stopped and turned around to look at O'Hara. "Hector Michaels! He's Keith Michaels' father!" he shouted, as if it meant something.

O'Hara gave him a blank look.

Carlton huffed in frustration as he began walking once more, with O'Hara hot on his heels. Once they found Spencer and Guster they needed to go. "Twenty years ago Hector Michaels was Interim Chief Hector Michaels!" he almost shouted.

O'Hara immediately stopped walking, and Lassiter paused, turning around to see why she'd stopped. "Oh my god! You don't think…" she couldn't finish the thought, but Lassiter nodded anyway.

"Eddie McCall wants retribution and he's willing to do whatever to get it. He's already killed two people… and that leaves two left. Hector Michaels must have known what his son did, and tried to protect him by shutting down the case before it could be solved! Hector is next and if we don't hurry, O'Hara, we're gonna be finding another dead body!"

O'Hara immediately snapped out of her daze, nodding in understanding. "We need to find Shawn and Gus!"

* * *

"So let me get this straight, my Dad's case was closed because the Chief was trying to protect his son?!" Spencer asked as he sat in the back of Lassiter's car, while Carlton was busy breaking quite a few laws to reach Hector Michaels' house alive. "If that's the case there's no way Eddie could blame my father for something that was taken out of his hands!"

"Eddie McCall has already killed two people, Shawn, I don't think his reasoning skills are extremely trustworthy right now!" said Gus.

Lassiter made another sharp turn, coming to a screeching halt in front of the blue and white house. It was almost picture perfect from the outside… complete with white picket fence and a nice porch to relax. The head detective opened the car door and was running toward the door with O'Hara, Spencer, and Guster right behind him. He paused at the door. Every instinct he had was telling him to bust it down and run inside, guns drawn, but he resisted temptation and gave a desperate knock, hoping that they weren't too late. Carlton could sense Shawn Spencer beside him, feel the need to get inside and see what was going on just oozing from the other man. He was invested in this case because his father's life was on the line, and despite all their issues Lassiter knew Henry was important to Shawn. "Oh come on! He's not answering!"

"We have to do this by the book, Shawn," said O'Hara, knocking loudly on the door. "Mr. Michaels?!" she called.

Shawn ran a frustrated hand through his hair, cursing under his breath. "He's not answering! We're too late!"

Without realizing what he was doing, Lassiter moved a hand to the back of Shawn's neck, rubbing it gently in the hopes of calming him down. Spencer immediately looked at him, and Carlton was surprised to watch him visibly relax under Lassiter's hand. "Whatever happens… it will only help lead us closer to McCall… alive or dead."

He couldn't help but notice Guster and O'Hara trade knowing looks, and Lassiter forced himself to let go of Shawn. As much as he knew the pseudo psychic needed comfort, he really didn't feel like hearing it from O'Hara. "Okay that's it… we need to check inside," Juliet finally said, about to pull out her cell phone when they heard a crash come from inside.

Gus' eyes widened. "Oh god!"

It was enough, and after a brief glance at O'Hara, Lassiter moved Spencer and Guster back, kicking the door open as hard as he could. His gun was drawn as he rushed inside, O'Hara watching his back. He didn't have to travel far, and froze in surprise as he watched the cat sitting on the table, a broken lamp lying on the floor nearby. Lassiter frowned. They were already in… so it couldn't hurt to check things out. "Stay close," Carlton ordered O'Hara as they walked past the living room and into the hallway.

Spencer stood in the living room looking around when he spotted it… a hand just outside the bedroom door. "Guys!" he shouted, pointing down.

Lassiter followed the hand, opening the door more as the rest of the body was revealed and he cursed at the blood that pooled all around Eddie's third victim. They were too late. They were always too late. Once again Eddie was one step ahead of them, leaving nothing but dead bodies in his wake, and Carlton knew they were running out of time. The next dead body might very well be Henry Spencer and that just wasn't something Lassiter was willing to accept. O'Hara was checking for a pulse, but Lassiter knew what she'd say before she did. "He's dead," she confirmed.

Carlton lowered his weapon and risked a glance at Shawn, and knew the same thoughts had been running through his head. How long before it was Henry they found lying dead on the floor? They were all thinking it, because they knew Eddie wasn't going to stop until he'd gotten what he wanted. He had a score to settle and he wasn't letting go. Carlton watched Shawn as he stared down at the body, could almost hear the wheels turning in the other man's head and for once he almost wished the man would talk, act the jackass, and drive Lassiter crazy. The pseudo psychic was far too still, and it was almost too painful to watch such a lively, carefree person look so… burdened. Slowly Spencer kneeled down near the body. "At the first crime scene… when you were collecting evidence… did you happen to find a bubble yum wrapper near the body?"

O'Hara looked up, puzzled. Carlton knew how she felt. In Lassiter's case, he didn't believe Shawn was psychic, but he knew Shawn had a gift. Juliet did believe, but often even she was surprised when he seemed to know something he shouldn't possibly know. "Yeah, there was. In fact, there's been a wrapper in every crime scene," said Juliet.

Gus took a step forward. "Shawn, there was a bubble gum wrapper at your Dad's place!"

Shawn nodded, looking over at something near the body, and it was only then that Carlton noticed the wrapper. "It's a message from Eddie," he whispered.

Carlton had been hesitant from the start to let Spencer in on their case, especially considering his connection to it, but no one understood Eddie McCall the way Shawn could… he was the only man who'd ever met him. He was starting to wonder if Spencer could handle the strain, the pressure. Even cops found it difficult at times, and their loved ones weren't even on the line. "A message?" Lassiter questioned, putting away his gun.

Spencer nodded. "Eddie knows it's me. My Dad hated the stuff, but I loved it. Whenever Eddie would come over he'd sneak me a piece… told me it was our little secret. He knows I'm following this case. He knows I'm after Henry."

Lassiter wasn't quite sure what to make of Spencer's words, but he had a feeling the realization Spencer was making did not bode well. "So what's next?" he found himself asking, and even O'Hara looked surprised.

Shawn looked up at Carlton, standing up once more, their eyes locked, and Lassiter could see no hesitation. "We finish this by going back to the beginning. Eddie's gonna make sure there's nothing here. He wants us to find him… wants to see if I can crack this thing and be the good detective Dad wanted me to be… the detective Eddie wanted me to be. To find Eddie we need to go back in time, back to the beginning… we need to go to Henry's house."

* * *

It was making him uncomfortable. She'd been staring at him for the better part of an hour as forensics came through Hector Michaels' house and swept it top to bottom while Lassiter stood aside and delegated. Spencer was off with Gus outside, probably trying to work through a few things. Meanwhile O'Hara was busy trying to make Carlton crack. He'd had enough. "For crying out loud, O'Hara! Will you stop looking at me like that?!" he snapped in frustration. Chief Vick would arrive any minute and Lassiter knew she'd be pissed.

O'Hara folded her arms. "How long has this been going on, Carlton?"

Lassiter took a sip of the coffee McNab had brought him. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You and Shawn! How long?" she asked, and he almost sip out his coffee at her words.

"O'Hara! There is no, 'me and Shawn.' You're seeing things," he assured her. He knew he was getting too close. The urge to protect Spencer and support him was getting stronger and stronger, and he'd known it was only a matter of time before others noticed… including his partner and friend.

O'Hara wasn't buying it… not that he really expected she would. "Oh my god… you love him," she whispered.

Lassiter bristled at the thought. It was one thing to believe there were feelings, but love… love was a big word, and one he wasn't quite ready to hear. "No O'Hara, I do not love, Shawn Spencer! Henry Spencer has been kidnapped and we're following a trail of dead bodies! Spencer has enough to deal with, and after everything he's done to support me I thought it was about time I did the same. That's it. Now drop it, O'Hara." It wasn't a complete lie. Spencer had done a lot for Carlton, and he did feel he owed the man something… but he wasn't being supportive to pay off a debt. He honestly wanted to be there for Shawn.

O'Hara was quiet for a moment, and Carlton had almost believed she'd dropped the matter, but he should have known better. "He wants more from you than friendly support, Carlton. I know he can drive you crazy, believe me, but if you can't be honest with me at least be honest with yourself," Juliet told him before walking away, and Carlton wasn't quite sure what to make of his partner's words, but as he turned and looked out the window, watching Shawn talking with Gus, he knew she was right. He just wasn't sure what the hell to do about it.

* * *

"Gus, Fraggle Rock was way cooler than Sesame Street! Just because Sesame Street has lasted longer doesn't mean Fraggle Rock isn't way better. That was some of Jim Henson's best work!" Spencer insisted as he leaned against Lassiter's car, waiting outside while the forensics guys to finish up.

Guster stood, off to the side, glancing back at the house every few minutes, and seemed just as nervous as Shawn felt. "Whatever Shawn, you just don't like the show because Elmo creeps you out," Gus replied.

"He's a fury red monster that always refers to himself in third person! How is that not creepy to you?! That's a sign of a severe mental disorder!"

"It's a children's show, Shawn!"

Spencer huffed, shaking his head. "I still say Fraggle Rock is better…" Shawn muttered

"Whatever Shawn-" Gus paused as he looked up past Shawn. Wondering what had stolen his best friend's attention; Shawn turned his head and watched as Head Detective Carlton Lassiter walked over to meet them. Shawn could see something different in Lassiter's eyes, but wasn't certain if it had something to do with the case or something more personal. Spencer had noticed the subtle shift in their relationship and suspected Carlton had noticed as well. As to how the detective would react to him, Shawn wasn't sure, but so far he'd yet to run away screaming. Shawn took that as a good sign. "So what did Chief Vick have to say?" Spencer asked.

Lassiter hesitated, glancing over at Gus. "Mr. Guster, could you give us a moment alone?"

Gus immediately looked at Shawn for confirmation. The protective side of Shawn's best friend was strong, and it only warmed the pseudo psychic's heart. He gave his friend a subtle nod to go, and after a final glance at Lassiter, Gus walked away to give them some privacy. Shawn turned back to look at Lassiter. "Okay Lassie, let's hear it. Vick's not happy I take it?"

Carlton frowned. "Another dead body and no clue as where McCall could be hiding? It's safe to say she's not pleased," he admitted with a tired sigh. "She's worried about you… we all are."

Shawn smiled. "Oh really Lassie? Even you?" Carlton raised an eyebrow as Shawn pushed off from the car, invading Lassiter's space.

"Spencer, we're under a lot of strain here. Vick wants you off this case, but she's keeping you in because you're our best bet at finding Eddie McCall and saving your father. I just need you to promise me you'll let me know if it get's to be too much."

Shawn was surprised by Carlton's request. Henry's life was in trouble, making the case different from all the others, but it was still a case. The fact that Lassiter seemed almost protective of Shawn just emphasized the change in their relationship since Eddie had returned. "That's awful nice of you, Lassie, but I'm a big boy. I think I can manage."

Apparently Shawn's words weren't what Lassiter had wanted to hear. "Damn it Spencer, this isn't a game! You're father's in danger!"

"You don't think I know that, Lassie?!" Spencer snapped. "I know my Dad's in trouble! But the moment I break down and crawl into a little ball is the moment Eddie wins! He knows I'm involved in this and he's testing me! He watched Henry training me to be a detective, always teaching me so I'd one day follow in his footsteps. Eddie was there! It may not be a game to you and me, but it is to Eddie! Now I don't know about you, but I plan on winning!"

Carlton was quiet for a long time, and Shawn could almost hear Lassiter gritting his teeth. Spencer could feel the tension between them, knew things would go bad quickly if they didn't do something about it, but whether that would involve beating each other senseless or fucking each other's brains out would depend a lot on how they handled this case. Lassiter broke their gaze first, effectively ending their game of chicken. "I made a promise to you, Spencer. We'll find your father… whatever it takes."

"Then take me to Henry's house, Lassie. I know what I'm doing… for once just… trust me."

Lassiter lifted his head once more, his blue eyes wide, searching Shawn's, though for what, Spencer had no idea. "I'll let the Chief know," he whispered.

Shawn could have kissed him right then and there, but managed to resist temptation. He did, however, allow himself a full blown smile. "Oh Lassie, you had me at hello," he practically moaned.

Lassiter rolled his head, walking back towards the Chief, currently speaking with O'Hara. "Never said 'hello,' Spencer."

"Still works."

To Be Continued


	7. Chapter 7

A Case Of Redemption

By Andie O'Neill

Fandom: Psych

Rating: PG-13 (Subject to Change… maybe R in later chapters)

Warning: Some Spoilers For S3, Slash (Obviously)

Pairing: Shawn/Lassiter (Eventually), Gus/Juliet

Genre: Romance, Angst, Humor, Action, Mystery

Summary: Henry Spencer's old partner is back in town for a visit, but things go from bad to worse when a killer is found dead and Henry goes missing.

A/N: Enjoy some serious Shassie goodness ahead! :D

Disclaimer: Steve Franks and the USA network own the show and it's characters.

* * *

Part Seven

Shawn Spencer had an eidetic memory. It was his gift, and at times his curse. For the most part, Shawn had learned to live with having a perfect memory. It was this ability that allowed him to work at Psych, making people believe he could actually talk to spirits Shawn didn't even really believed existed. This, coupled with his deeply ingrained observational skills made him unstoppable. He'd been training to solve crimes all his life… the perfect cop and detective. There was only one problem. He wasn't a cop, and although he often referred to himself as a Psychic Detective, it wasn't exactly the truth. When Shawn had found himself jumping from job to job there had always been something inside him telling him it was wrong. Nothing satisfied him, made him feel complete the way he felt now, working for the SBPD. He was finally using his gift the way he was meant to… solving the crimes no one else could solve, because no one could do the things he did.

He remembered things… remembered with such clarity it was like the moment was happening all over again before his very eyes. He could recall everything his father had ever taught him… all the many lessons through out Shawn's younger years. When the situation called for it, he could call such memories to mind in seconds, relive each experience and use it to his advantage. If there was one thing Shawn could say about his father, it was that he was smart. He'd seen the potential in Shawn, recognized all the good his son could do. Henry Spencer may not have been the world's greatest Dad, but he'd loved (still did) his son, and he'd wanted the best for Shawn. For a long time Shawn had been unaware of this, too caught up in all Henry's mistakes to see the bigger picture. Henry Spencer may not have been the world's greatest Dad, but Shawn Spencer hadn't exactly been the world's greatest son either.

It's seemed ironic that it was Henry's insistence in training Shawn that was now his only chance at survival. He'd disappointed his father so many times in the past. Shawn's choices in life were a giant disappointment. Hell, Henry had said it best when he'd pointed out that the very fact that Shawn was posing as a psychic was a major disappointment. His father had learned to deal with it… even accept it and support it, but Shawn knew it wasn't the life Henry wanted for him. He was supposed to be a cop. The problem with having an eidetic memory was Shawn never forgot that… he never forgot the times he'd watched his father look on with disappointment. He also never forgot the times his father had given him looks of pride. Shawn focused on remembering those moments now, remembering each time he'd watched his father smile proudly at his son, and all had seemed right with the world. Shawn simply couldn't let his father down, and he wouldn't.

"Shawn?"

Spencer was pulled from his thoughts as he turned to look at his best friend, a question in the other man's eyes. They were back at Henry's home… and Shawn found himself overwhelmed by the memories. He and his father had spent so much time in this yard. Shawn remembered everything… every lesson he'd ever learned, every game he'd ever played, even every cut or bruise he'd sustained… all in this very yard. But more than that, he could remember Eddie. He remembered Eddie laughing along with Henry as they told stories about car chases and complicated cases. He remembered how much Eddie loved Henry's fried fish. He remembered the man Eddie used to be, and suddenly it seemed impossible that the man he remembered could be the same man who'd already killed three people, and was holding Shawn's father hostage. Shawn forced himself to focus on the task at hand, sensing Lassiter moving to stand beside him, and that worried look he'd been giving Shawn since his father had first gone missing was returning full force. "I'm okay… just uh… the spirits seem to be in a giving mood," he said, walking up to the door. They'd stopped at Shawn's house to get his spare key, and he quickly opened the door. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but what he now saw had not been it, and for a moment Shawn couldn't breathe.

"Oh my god… it looks like a tornado came through here," said Gus, sounding a little breathless himself. The place was a mess, trashed beyond recognition. Books had been thrown to the floor, picture frames cracked and destroyed. Shawn walked slowly into the house, his training kicking in immediately as he tried to understand what had happened. Obviously his father had fought back, and Shawn's chest tightened as he noticed the faint blood spatter on Henry's wood floors. It wasn't much… which meant it was possible his father was simply injured in the struggle. The coffee table was covered in glass, mostly from picture frames and Shawn found himself pulling a picture of him and Gus back in middle school from under a broken water glass. At some point water had spilled onto the picture, as Shawn noticed from the stain, but it had long since dried. Lassiter, Juliet, and Gus followed behind him, quiet and Shawn could feel the tension in the room. He knew they were all trying to think of what to say, anything that might make Shawn feel better, feel hope that they'd find a clue and save Henry. The silence was making him itch, and he was about to speak himself, babble, anything to fill the void when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He'd almost missed it. He hadn't seen the picture in years, taken from the mantle not long after Eddie quit the force and left town.

Glass was covering the picture, and Shawn carefully slid it out from under the broken pieces, wincing when a shard cut into his skin. It was a picture of Henry and Eddie. Taking a deep breath Shawn looked up at Lassiter, seeing the grim expression on the detective's face before he looked back down and turned the picture over. There was writing on the back. Shawn read it aloud. "Redeem, to buy or get back; recover. Redemption… to deliver from sin; to fulfill a promise." Shawn didn't understand, couldn't comprehend what Eddie could mean. Nothing about the words made sense. Shawn looked over at the picture of him and Gus, turning it over as well, surprised to see handwriting on the back of that picture as well. "All debts shall be paid." Shawn knew he was frustrated, that he wasn't himself. His father's life was in danger and he was standing around reading riddles that made no sense. Shawn dropped the picture of him and Gus, and picked up the picture of Henry and Eddie. They were so similar. Two people… partners, friends. Only in Eddie's eyes Henry had betrayed their friendship. What the hell was he trying to say? Shawn rolled his eyes. "Well, Eddie certainly is laying it on thick. Who knew he had such a flare for drama? All he needs now is a top hat, one of those curly mustaches, and a good evil laugh and he'd win 'best super villain' of the year, no contest," Shawn muttered in frustration, tearing the picture of his father and Eddie in two pieces, effectively cutting the two men off from each other. It seemed poetic somehow.

"Shawn-" Juliet began, shutting her mouth with a sigh as Shawn turned his head to look at her.

"It's gotta be a clue… we just need to figure out what it all means," said Gus, as always trying to be a good friend, give Shawn comfort somehow.

Shawn didn't much feel like being comforted. "It doesn't mean anything, Gus!" Spencer snapped. "Eddie's stuck us all in a giant maze to watch us chase after our own fucking tails!" When he saw Gus and Juliet jump at his anger he turned away, pushing back his anger. "Excuse me," he finally whispered and left the living room, retreating to the kitchen before he could say something he'd really regret.

* * *

Carlton had known Shawn Spencer for almost three years, had spent hours and hours of time during cases with both Spencer and Guster, and not once had he seen Shawn snap at Guster in such a way. Vick had been right to contemplate taking Spencer off the case. The pressure of trying to find his father was becoming too much. Time was running out and Shawn was beginning to feel backed into a corner. Lassiter knew the feeling well, could identify the signs. Looking at O'Hara and Guster, Lassiter could see their surprise at Spencer's outburst. Guster took a step forward, obviously intent on following the pseudo psychic but Lassiter shot his arm out, blocking Guster from going any further. "No… let me talk to him."

"You?! Time is running out and Shawn's father's life is on the line! What makes you think he'd want to talk to you?" Guster asked, and although the question seemed harsh, Lassiter knew it only came out of the younger man's wish to protect his best friend. They'd grown up together.

"Gus-" began Juliet, only to be cut off.

"No, it's alright, O'Hara," Lassiter assured her. He looked Guster in the eyes, standing his ground. "I know you're worried… we all are, but right now Spencer is the only one who can figure this out and help us track Eddie McCall down. I know what's at stake, and I know what this case is doing to him. Whenever you're life has been in danger I've seen how Shawn reacts, how he handles it. Just let me talk to him alone. Stay here with O'Hara and keep looking for more clues… anything that could help us figure out where McCall's hiding."

Lassiter could tell Guster was unsure, hesitant to trust him, but couldn't really blame him considering how Carlton had treated Shawn in the past. Their relationship was rocky at best. Finally, with a worried glance towards the kitchen, Guster gave his nod of approval. It was all Carlton needed and he immediately left the living room and followed Spencer into the kitchen, noticing him pacing in front of the kitchen counter. The wheels were turning, and Carlton had no doubt Shawn was trying to go over the case once more, piece by piece in the hopes of discovering something he might have missed. He didn't speak right away, simply stood there and watched the younger man pace as he tried to assess the situation, and Spencer's mental state. As a detective he'd learned early on the importance of observation.

"This isn't a case of redemption, Lassie! This is about revenge! Retribution! Redemption is about forgiveness! It doesn't make sense!" Shawn almost shouted, finally pausing, and turning to look at Lassiter. Carlton could see the desperation, the need to know the answer. At one time Lassiter may have found pleasure in seeing Spencer struggle the way Carlton often had in the more complicated cases. It seemed like ages ago now. Instead Carlton found himself wishing the man was psychic, hoping he was… that he'd connect with McCall's mind or some spirit and divine the answers. Carlton still didn't speak, only walked further into the kitchen. Shawn let out an annoyed huff. "Well aren't you just being a chatty Cathy today? Seriously Lassie, take a breath before my ear falls off in the mists of your incessant chatter," he muttered sarcastically.

Carlton walked closer to the younger man, determined steps and for one brief moment he wondered if this was how it felt to be Shawn Spencer… confident, understanding the world the way no one else seemed to. For one clear moment Lassiter knew exactly what to do. He moved his hands to gently rest on Shawn's shoulders, looking the other man in the eyes, seeing the other man's confusion before he pulled him close and wrapped his arms around the slightly smaller body. At first Shawn seemed to surprised to hug him back, but Carlton wasn't worried. He closed his eyes, resting his chin on Shawn's shoulder and held him tight, and finally the hands wrapped around him in return and Spencer was holding on to him just as tightly. The two men stood there for a long moment. There were no tears, no sobs… just the sound of a long shaky breath being released and Shawn finally relaxed in Carlton's arms. Lassiter took it as a good sign. "I may not be a psychic, Shawn, but I don't have to be. I've watched you solve cases that would have made any other detective's head spin, with a hell of a lot less than what we have now. I don't pretend to understand how you do what you do, but I know you have a gift. You see things no one else can. You said you could beat him… and I believe you." Lassiter pulled back just a bit, wanting to look at Shawn's face. "I believe _in_ you." Carlton smiled faintly. "Shawn… you astound me," he whispered.

Lassiter could see the light return in Shawn's eyes, knew the younger man was recalling the last time he'd spoken those words, and he smiled back. The moment of clarity was gone within seconds as the mood seemed to change for comfort to something else entirely, and it was only then that Carlton realized his hands were resting on either side of Shawn's face, stroking gently. Amusement faded away, and a different kind of tension took its place. He wasn't sure who leaned in first, couldn't recall how it happened, but Shawn's lips were moving gently against his own. The kiss was hesitant at first, testing the waters, but as Carlton kissed him back, Shawn became more bold. The kiss deepened, heads tilted as the two men gave into whatever it was that had been developing between them. Carlton knew it was wrong somehow, to be kissing Shawn while his father's very life was in danger, but he also knew it was exactly what Shawn needed. He needed to know Carlton would be there for him, that he truly cared. He let Shawn explore his mouth, pulling their bodies closer for more contact, more touch… just more. Unfortunately lack of oxygen made it impossible for them to continue and they broke the kiss, panting, though neither seemed either to let go of the other. "Christ, I didn't even have an orgasm, but I could swear I just saw God," muttered Shawn.

Lassiter smiled, resting his forehead against Spencer's. It'd been a long time since he'd kissed anyone he really cared for. There had been others since Victoria, but none Carlton could honestly see himself falling for. Lassiter was about to comment on Shawn's words when he watched Spencer stiffen, suddenly in another world and Lassiter knew the younger man was miles away. "Shawn? What is it?"

Shawn blinked a few times before looking back up at Lassiter, eyes wide. "Oh my god! Redemption! Gus was right… it does mean something! It was meant for me! Vick was right… I really am the only one who could find Eddie! You said it yourself, I know him… knew him for a long time."

Carlton knew then and there that Shawn had solved the puzzle somehow. "Shawn?"

Shawn smiled, pulling Carlton in for a brief kiss. "Eddie comes from a very religious background! He'd been going to church all his life. He used to keep a chain of the cross around his neck, tucked under his shirts… a gift from his grandfather. I remember one time he talked my father into coming with him to church… they took me too. Deliver from sin! The whole sermon was on redemption… what it meant… how Christ died to save us or whatever… I don't remember much because I fell asleep five minutes after the guy started, but I do remember that!"

Carlton really wasn't following. "Spencer, what the hell does that have to do with where McCall and Henry are?"

Shawn was practically jumping up and down, more alive than Lassiter had seen him since they'd first realized Henry had been kidnapped. "That church Eddie took us too… it's been boarded up for months after the last earthquake! They were planning on tearing it down and starting over! No one's been near the place in forever! It's the perfect place to hide out! Redemption was the clue… one only I would understand! They're at the church!"

Shawn pulled out of Carlton's arms, ready to rush back out to tell Guster and O'Hara, but Lassiter grabbed his arm, turning him back around. "Wait a second! Why would he do that? Why tell you where he's hiding out? If his plan is to kill all those connected to the injustice involving his brother's death… why ruin everything by telling you where he is?" Carlton saw it as a valid question. McCall may have been a cold blooded killer, but it was obvious he was smart… he'd been a god damn detective.

"It's the sermon! Christ died to cover our sins, deliver us from sin. Death… equals forgiveness! Even before then the Jews would kill animals as sacrifices for their sins. Obviously he's set up some kind of trap for us… possibly for me, I don't know, but we won't find out waiting here scratching our heads! Lassie, you said you believe in me… so believe in me now! We gotta go!" said Shawn, his desperation obvious.

Lassiter could see in Spencer's eyes that he truly believed he was right. Trap or not… they had no choice. Henry's life was on the line. The Head Detective nodded, his hand slipping from Spencer's arms. "Lead the way, Spencer."

Shawn grinned, kissing Carlton hard and with more passion than Lassiter ever remembered feeling. He closed his eyes, simply enjoying the feelings that swelled up from the simple kiss. Finally Shawn pulled away. "We are so picking this up after we save my Dad!" he whispered against Carlton's lips. The words immediately made Carlton shiver with anticipation as he barely noticed Shawn pulling him back into the living room to gather Guster and O'Hara. He could still taste the faint hint of pineapples on his lips.

To Be Continued

A/N: Will they save Henry in time? Will they manage to foil Eddie's plans? Will Shawn and Lassie really pick things up later once the case is over? Review and you may just learn the answers to all of these questions and more! :D


	8. Chapter 8

A Case Of Redemption

By Andie O'Neill

Fandom: Psych

Rating: PG-13 (Subject to Change… maybe R in later chapters)

Warning: Some Spoilers For S3, Slash (Obviously)

Pairing: Shawn/Lassiter (Eventually), Gus/Juliet

Genre: Romance, Angst, Humor, Action, Mystery

Summary: Henry Spencer's old partner is back in town for a visit, but things go from bad to worse when a killer is found dead and Henry goes missing.

A/N: Not much longer! I'm thinking just one chapter left maybe… we'll see how much I can pack. In the mean time… Shawn faces off with Eddie! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Steve Franks and the USA network own the show and it's characters.

* * *

Part Eight

It was getting late, and they were running out of time. The church was miles away and if Lassiter went any faster the car would probably lift off. Shawn was still trying to connect the missing pieces to Eddie's plan. It had to be a trap. Why would Eddie _want_ Shawn to find him? Lassie was right, it didn't make sense. Eddie had been so careful, barely leaving evidence behind unless he'd meant to, and only clues Shawn would understand. As a child Eddie would often give Shawn advice, wanted to see Spencer become a detective almost as badly as Henry did. At one time Shawn had looked up to his 'Uncle Eddie,' but now that same man was planning on killing his father. Nothing fit, and Shawn was having a hard time connecting the dots. Still, he felt more clear-headed than he had since the moment he'd realized his father had gone missing. For once it wasn't just Gus that believed in him, was supporting him. Lassie was behind him to, and somehow Shawn had never felt more confident.

They were getting closer to the church and Lassiter turned to look at Shawn. "Spencer… I don't want you or Guster following us inside. Let O'Hara and I deal with this. Back-up is on the way."

"Are you kidding me?! Lassie, I need to be in there! I need to finish this! If anyone can stop Eddie it's me!" Shawn protested, desperate to see this case to the end. He knew he wasn't always the bravest, or the most heroic guy around, but he wasn't going to just sit by while his father's life hung in the balance.

"Shawn, Carlton's right. You're already in this too deep. You're emotionally involved. It could affect your judgment," injected Juliet.

Spencer shook his head. "No, I am not just going to let you guys go in there alone! We're going in with you, right Gus?" Shawn looked back at his best friend, seeing the hesitation and immediately frowned. "Gus?!"

"What?! Every time I get involved I end up with a gun to my head, Shawn! I care about Henry too, but I'm not trying to get killed either!" Gus said a slightly guilty expression on his face.

Internally Shawn understood his friend's hesitation. Gus had been in some dangerous situations and Shawn knew he would never forgive himself if his friend was hurt. "Fine! You can stay by the car and make sure he doesn't escape while the three of us go in!" Shawn turned back to look at Lassie, praying that he'd understand how important it was to Shawn, how much he needed to face Eddie and save his father.

Lassiter turned the next corner, only a block away from the church, and let out a heavy sigh. "Alright fine, but you stay close to me and I swear to God if you do something stupid I will shoot you myself."

Shawn smiled, thankful. "Don't worry Lassie, I'll be a good boy," he assured the detective.

Lassiter rolled his eyes, making a quick U-turn before parking in front of the church Shawn had given him directions to. "Okay, this is it!" Lassiter pulled out his gun and glanced back at Spencer, then climbed out of the car. Shawn and O'Hara were fast behind him as they rushed to the door. Lassiter didn't even bother to see if it was open, choosing to bust it down instead. The church was dark, and Shawn swallowed the lump in his throat as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Lassiter was cautiously moving inside, and Shawn made sure to stick to his side, ducking down just a bit as if somehow it would help him. They could barely see, and Lassiter motioned for O'Hara to go around the other way, meeting him at the front of the church. They would cover more ground that way, but somehow Shawn didn't like the idea of them splitting up. Still, he said nothing, and kept close as he'd been instructed. It was rare that Spencer listened to anything Lassiter said, but for once he wasn't about to take chances.

"Carlt-" came a shout from nearby and Shawn jumped, recognizing it as O'Hara, but she never finished, and Shawn knew Eddie was there… watching.

"O'Hara?!" Lassiter called back without thinking, and suddenly the lights were turning on and Shawn blinked as his eyes adjusted, temporarily blinded. When he could finally see once more O'Hara was lying still on the dirty carpet floor with a gash on her forehead and Eddie McCall was holding a gun to Henry Spencer's head.

"Dad!" shouted Shawn, taking a step forward before Lassiter quickly grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back, positioning himself in front of Shawn, his weapon trained at Eddie. Henry was lying on the floor unconscious, arms and legs tied.

Eddie smiled. "Shawny, look at you! You're all grown up. Been a long time… you look good, kid."

Shawn was looking over Carlton's shoulder, tense as he stared at the gun. Eddie's finger was on the trigger and the safety was off. Spencer forced himself to look up at Eddie, seeing the usual wear of age on his face. "Hey Eddie," he greeted back, trying to keep the fear from his voice. "What's up man… you know… besides the murder thing?" His voice was shaky at best. He couldn't stop glancing down at the gun, and his father.

"Drop the gun, now! You're not gonna escape from this, McCall. Back-up is on the way," said Lassiter, eyes trained on Eddie, ready to shoot at the first sign of movement.

Eddie stood still, a small smile on his face. "Detective Carlton Lassiter. I've read all about you in the papers. Tell me, what's it like being caught in Shawny-boy's shadow? I mean, we all know he's a better detective than you'll ever be."

Shawn looked over at Lassiter, watching the detective's finger tighten just a bit, itching to fire his weapon and take Eddie out. "For your information Lassie's a great detective. You wish you could solve crime the way he does… _and_ look hot while doing it. He's practically McGruff," Shawn defended.

Eddie's smile grew. "You always had to be the funny one, didn't you Shawny. I swear sometimes I wondered how the hell you could ever be a Spencer with how different you and Henry are. Some things never change."

Shawn refused to play Eddie's game. He wasn't going to break down. He needed to be strong… for his father. "Plus I have all my hair. I mostly take after, Mom."

McCall nodded, letting out a faint chuckle before he looked down at Henry. Shawn could see the bruises and cuts on his father, his heart beating faster and faster with every second. Henry had to be okay… he just had to be. "Well, at least I can say there's one thing you got that could only have come from your father. Henry always was one hell of a detective."

It was time for a different approach. "Interim Chief Michaels took the case from him, Eddie. There was nothing he could have done. His hands were tied."

"Oh come on, Shawn! You're smarter than this! You actually believe Henry didn't have a choice?! We all have a choice, kid! You've still got a lot to learn. Henry knew something was fishy about the whole damn situation! He wouldn't have been a good cop, or a good detective if he hadn't figured Michaels had an agenda. Michaels knew what his son had done! He knew his son was involved and he tried to cover it up! Henry wasn't a damn fool, Shawn! Everyone knew he was hiding something!" shouted Eddie, his anger rising, and Shawn knew he'd made a mistake. Lassiter was standing quiet in front of him, gun aimed straight at Eddie, ready for whatever move the other man made. Shawn's heart lifted just a bit when he heard Henry groan, obviously waking up, perhaps thanks to Eddie's shouting.

"Dad?!"

Henry groaned once more, trying to fight his restraints before he opened his eyes and looked up at the gun pointed straight at him. He immediately froze. "Shawn?" he managed, swallowing hard.

"I thought you'd like one last moment, Shawn," said Eddie. "This is the last time you're going to see your father, and despite everything I knew I couldn't kill him until you had a chance to say goodbye."

Shawn closed his eyes for a moment, trying to keep a cool head. "Eddie, you can't do this!" he finally spoke, looking up at the man once more.

Eddie's eyes were focused on Henry, now fully conscious and staring back. The retired detective didn't say a word. "And why not, Shawn? He deserves to pay for his sins. James deserved justice, but was denied for YEARS because your father didn't have the courage to face the Chief."

"Eddie, I had no choice-" Henry began.

"No!" interrupted McCall, his gun shaking for a moment with his anger. "No excuses! No apologies!"

Shawn knew they were getting nowhere, and fear gripped him as he realized just how close he was to losing his father. He glanced back at Juliet, noticing she was also regaining consciousness. Suddenly hope swelled inside him. Perhaps if he could keep Eddie occupied… just maybe they had a chance. His thoughts immediately went back to his childhood. "You know Gus is outside. He's still my best friend even after all this time. We're still partners… run Psych together."

Eddie didn't pull his eyes away from Henry, but smiled none-the-less. "I know, Shawny. I read the papers about you two."

"You and Henry were partners too, Eddie. Why are you doing this? You were to my Dad what Gus is to me. You used to say you'd take a bullet for him… and now you're standing here ready to _put_ a bullet in him. Last I heard friends don't shoot each other." Shawn was glancing back at Juliet, watching her feel the ground for her gun. She was sliding over toward it.

Eddie shook his head. "Friends also don't betray each other."

"You're mad at my father for not solving a case? Seriously?! You two were partners!"

Finally Eddie looked at him. "It wasn't just some damn case! James was my brother! He deserved justice! All I wanted was loyalty from a friend! He knew just as I did that Chief Michaels was hiding something, but he chose to let it stay buried!"

"Eddie, there was nothing I could do. We had no evidence-" Henry began.

"Shut up! Just shut up!" snapped Eddie, taking a step closer to Henry, his arm tensing and Shawn held his breath for a moment. Again he looked over at Juliet. She'd almost reached her gun. He just needed to stall a little bit longer.

"Listen to him, Eddie! The evidence was gone! I understand why you killed Keith Michaels. Hell, I can even understand why you killed his father, but my Dad did nothing to you! He doesn't deserve this!" Shawn called out.

"Drop the gun… this is your last warning," said Lassiter.

Eddie shook his head. "I can't let this go. I must see this through!"

Henry took in a deep breath. "I know I made a mistake, Eddie. I blame myself every god damn day for how things went down. I failed you… and James. Keith Michaels took your brother from you and I was supposed to bring him to justice. I know that, but killing me won't bring your brother back."

"No…." Eddie cocked his gun, and Shawn's heart stopped. "But the guilty must pay, and now it's your turn."

Juliet reached for her gun, accidentally hitting a loose brick from the wall that had broken on the floor and Eddie immediately turned, ready to shoot. "No!" shouted Shawn at the top of his lungs when he heard the loud echo of a gun firing and suddenly everything went still. Shawn knew he would never forget the look in Eddie McCall's eyes as they widened, just before he fell backwards from the hit, falling to the floor while the gun dropped from his hands. Henry was struggling to free himself from the ropes, trying to get to Eddie. Despite everything Henry and Eddie had still been friends for a very long time. Lassiter's gun was smoking, and Shawn knew he'd been the one to pull the trigger. He was frozen, time slowing down as he watched Eddie look up at him. Shawn could already see the blood spilling from his wound, and finally pushed himself to run over to the man, Lassiter following behind as he kicked the gun from Eddie and helped O'Hara up. "Eddie?" This man had lived with his hatred and pain for too long, had let it eat away the good man Shawn remembered from his past.

Eddie looked up at Shawn. "You know Shawny… I always knew you'd make one hell of a detective. It's what you were made to do." There was a smile on Eddie's lips, and silently Shawn wondered if it hadn't been just to allow for a last goodbye that Eddie had left those clues for Shawn to follow. Perhaps it was one final test to see if Shawn had what it took. Or maybe Eddie never really had it in him to kill Henry despite how close he'd been to pulling the trigger… perhaps subconsciously he was still the same man Shawn remembered, the one that loved the Spencer family. All Shawn did know is when Eddie's eyes finally closed, the smile hadn't faded from his lips… and he looked more at peace in death than he'd had moments before when he'd been pointing a gun at Henry's head.

Shawn turned away from the man lying dead before him, looking up at his father who was staring on with sadness and regret in his eyes. "Dad? You uh… you okay?" he asked awkwardly, moving over to untie him.

Henry looked beaten, tired, and in pain… but at least he was alive. "Yeah kid… I'm okay. Thanks to you and Lassiter."

Shawn followed Henry's gaze, looking up at the lanky detective standing over them, holding up his injured partner. Shawn could see the worry in Lassiter's eyes, and gave him a soft smile to let him know he too was okay. Finally he turned back to his father, giving the elder Spencer the best smile he could muster. "Yeah well, Lassie's the real hero… which uh reminds me… we may need to talk later," he told his father with a quick glance back at Lassiter, thinking once more about the kiss he'd shared with the detective. At some point he was going to have to tell his father.

Henry raised an eyebrow, looking at them both with suspicion. "Do I wanna know?" he finally asked.

Lassiter blushed just a bit, and Shawn looked back at his father. "Let's just say, you should remember you owe Lassie-face here, your life and leave it at that for now," he spoke, helping his father up.

Henry let out a tired sigh. "I'm gonna need a drink for this aren't I?" he mumbled grimly.

The crisis was finally over, and the pressure that had been building was finally passing away, and Shawn couldn't believe the relief he felt at knowing his father was okay. He allowed himself a faint smile. "Come on Dad… Gus is waiting for us outside, and we need to get you to a hospital."

When he looked up at Juliet, barely managing to stand on her own, he heard Lassiter's sigh. "Correction… I think we need to get _them_ to a hospital," added Carlton. As always back up had the most impeccable timing, and they hadn't even made it out of the church when they heard the sirens from outside. With one last glance at Eddie McCall, Shawn helped his father out of the church. It was finally over, even if a part of Shawn wished things had ended differently. He couldn't forget the Eddie McCall from all those years ago, the one that had taught Shawn so much. Not for the first time Shawn wondered what it would be like to be able to forget, but as he looked up and saw Lassie's comforting blue eyes, he let the image of Eddie fade and replaced it with the kiss he and Carlton had shared. Maybe Shawn couldn't forget, but there was something to be said for all the good things he could remember. For once, it was enough.

"Hey… Shawn, you okay?" his father asked, stalling for a moment as he looked at Shawn, almost studying him as if trying to solve a puzzle.

Shawn simply smiled, pulling him along. "Yeah Dad… I am now."

To Be Continued

A/N: I was a bit worried it might seem a bit rushed, but if I tried to edit any more I'd start pulling out hairs. Let me know what you guys thought!


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